Kiss the Sky
by AngelDeLumiere
Summary: All Isshin Kurosaki wanted was a babysitter for the week. If anyone could handle his kids it was her. She had done it countless times before. Unfortunately this time, Aizen felt the need to intervene.
1. Chapter 1

Kiss the Sky--

Chapter One-

"Gotta go! Gotta go! I'm late!" Kurosaki Isshin yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran around his house, waving his arms. Meanwhile, his two daughters sat on the stairs, watching the scene. One looked slightly alarmed at the ruckus her father was making- though why it still surprised her, she did not know. The other could only watch with a disgusted disinterest. Karin scowled as she crossed her arms in front of her chest as her father- the one who was supposed to be the mature member of the family- shouted frantically that he could not find his toothbrush.

"Just by another one at the store, you idiot!" Karin finally having enough of her father's antics. It was her foot intervening with her father's legs that made Isshin scurry up the stairs to his room. Karin could be down right scary at times.

"Karin!" Yuzu admonished her sister, "You shouldn't talk to Dad like that."

"Why not?" Karin huffed. "He deserves it, acting like an idiot all the time,"

"Still…" Yuzu bit her lip in a rather adorable way.

Karin let out an exasperated sigh before standing. "Whatever. I really don't care."

Just then, Ishhin bounded down the stairs, nearly falling over his feet. Yuzu had just finished polishing the stairs, making them extra slippery. She flushed in embarrassment when she realized that she could have possibly hurt her father. She would miss him for the week that he was gone on business.

"Where is the babysitter?" Isshin cried, shaking his head rapidly. His eyes zeroed in on the door. "Oh, Sani! Where are you?"

"Relax, Dad." Karin shoved her hands in her pockets, "Sani is always on time."

"That's right," Yuzu chirped, "Our Sani is always prompt. Never a second early or a second late."

"I told her to be her at nine," Isshin whined.

Karin gave her dad a good and hard kick in the face. Isshin fell to the floor, whimpering. The imprint of his daughter's little shoe would remain entrenched on his face for the rest of the day.

"You should know that it is only eight fifty-eight," she rolled her eyes. "You are such a drag,"

"Karin!" Yuzu admonished her. How could her sister speak to their father like that?

"I'm not sorry," Karin smirked at their father's quivering mass on the floor.

Slowly Isshin sat up, rubbing his face. "Now you girls do everything Sani says while I'm gone, you hear me? She's the boss when I'm not."

"You weren't much of a boss to start with," Karin muttered. Yuzu elbowed her in the ribs, thankful that Isshin had not heard the adulterous comment. That could have destroyed his little pride quicker than anything else.

"Now, if Ichigo comes back, give him a good thrashing for me, Karin." Isshin ordered. He had a good idea where his son had spent his entire summer vacation thus far, but he could never tell his little girls that. No, he acted as confused as the rest of them. He suspected that Karin knew more about the Soul Society than she let on, but Yuzu knew next to nothing, so they all acted like they did. "If that boy knows what's good for him… he won't show his face around here for at least another week!"

"Wouldn't it be better for Ichigo to come back when you're gone? He'd be able to put off you for a week," Karin drawled.

Ishhin glared at his snippy offspring. He didn't really have a snappy comeback for that one. "Well… uhh…"

The doorbell rang.

"It's Sani!" Yuzu squealed excitedly. She and Isshin made a mad dash for the front door. Karin followed at a much more relaxed pace. There was no need to tackle their babysitter. Poor Sani had enough of that between Isshin and Yuzu. There was a loud thud. Grimacing, Karin stood over the pile of people she dared call family sprawled all over the floor.

"Hey, hun," a familiar coo said from beneath Isshin Kurosaki.

"Howya doing, Sani?" Karin leaned against the wall. No need to act interested in anything as boring as Sani coming to work. She used to babysit them all the time before Ichigo grew up. She started doing it again whenever Ichigo found the need to disappear doing his Shinigami work.

"Just fine, thank you," Sani managed to gasp out.

"Oh get up off of her already!" Karin gave her father a good kick on the butt. Yuzu scrambled up off of their babysitter, furiously blushing. Sani stood, looking as radiant as ever. Karin could not help but smile.

"Come and give me a hug, kiddo. It's been forever since I last saw you all." Sani opened her arms wide, a smile on her pale face. Karin couldn't help but grin as she threw her arms around the almost woman.

"It's been two days since you last cooked us dinner," she reminded everyone.

"Really?" Sani sounded surprised, "It feels like so much longer than that,"

Pulling back, Karin shrugged. "Well, it was."

"Wow. Shouldn't be going, Mr. Kurosaki? You said your flight left at ten-thirty." Sani reminded Isshin.

Isshin winced. Throwing his arms up in the air, he shouted, "Eegads!" and started scrambling around the house once more. Karin scowled. Leave it to her father to use such a lame word. Giving each girl a quick peck on the cheek, Isshin darted out the door. Seconds later, they heard the car start and then Isshin drove away to the airport. He was going to Tokyo for a business meeting. For what business, Karin was not completely sure. Maybe it had something to do with Ichigo and the Shinigami… Karin began to muse… perhaps that was the business he referred to. Logically, Yuzu would assume the clinic, but there could always be more.

"Who wants omelets?" Sani clapped her hands together.

The twins shared a look. Yuzu had just finished cleaning up from their breakfast. "I do!" they both shouted. Sani's cooking was just too good to pass up.

Just a few minutes later, the twins were happily munching on their omelets as Sani cleaned. The girl hummed to herself, content in her work. Her long hair was swept up in a messy though some of her long curls had fallen free during her frenzied work. She bussed the countertop, cleaning off the remnants of egg yolks while Yuzu chatted about her latest project with her little lion doll. Sani bobbed her head, listening intently with one ear.

"If you want, we can go to the fabric store later on and get some new cloth to make him a new dress,"

"It's a her," Yuzu pouted.

Sani flinched. "My bad, sweet pea."

"It's all right, Sani."

"What about you, Karin? Have anything special that you wanna do this week?" Sani asked.

Karin shrugged, "I'm probably gonna hang out with the guys some. Place some soccer."

"Anything else?"

"Nah."

"How about we have a Christmas movie marathon?" Sani suggested, her violet eyes wide with anticipation.

"It's August," Karin pointed out in a disgruntled tone.

"That's what makes it fun!" Sani squealed.

Yuzu laughed. Clapping her hands together, she said, "Oh! Let's! That sounds like so much fun!"

"We can get the Grinch, all three Home Alone's, other various Japanese movies," Sani said.

"You all don't have much food left," Sani cocked her head to the side a minute later when she inspected the fridge. She quickly moved over to the pantry only to reach the same conclusion. "We'll have to go the store,"

"Now?" Karin groaned.

"Do you have anything better to do?" Sani asked with some mirth.

Karin glanced out the window. She had that familiar feeling of dread coiled tightly in her stomach. The pressure around her was intensifying with each second. It was easily identifiable as someone like Ichi-nii, but not. One of his shinigami friends was fighting one of those beasts…what had Toushiro called them? Hallows? No, hollows. Two o's. It was not safe to go out of the house, but how could she explain that to Sani who stood not a foot away from her with a large smile warming her face, spiritually unaware? She sighed. Her babysitter would think her insane or feverish, and Karin would not be let out of bed for a week.

"No," she mumbled tersely.

Yuzu grinned. "I love grocery shopping,"

"That makes a grand total of one of us," Karin scowled darkly.

Sani laughed. "You look so much like your brother when you do that, Karin. Did you know that?"

Karin immediately flushed. Both she and Yuzu flinched at the mention of their brother. His absence still hit them deep in the heart. Sani cast her blue-violet eyes down at the island. "He's still missing, then?" her voice broke as she asked.

"Yeah," Karin gasped out.

Silence swarmed around them for a moment. Sani broke it by clapping her hands. The twins looked up. Sani wore a determinedly cheerful look on her face. "I'm sure he'll back soon. You know," she added with a wicked gleam in her eyes, "I bet he's with a girl,"

"No!" Yuzu gasped with wide eyes. "He wouldn't! Would he?" she asked Karin who shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe. It's probably Inoue-san," Karin said.

"Oooohh," Sani leaned forward, resting her weight on her arms which lay on the island counter top. "Tell me more about this Inoue-san,"

Karin laughed. "It's not like that, Sani-san. They're just friends. Like Ichi-nii and Tatuski-chan."

Sani raised up her perfectly arched eyebrows. "If you say so, Karin. I'm sure at Yuzu will tell me everything while we're making her doll new clothes."

"Of course, Sani!" chirped Yuzu.

Karin rolled her eyes. What a sucker for attention. Grabbing her purse, Sani took Yuzu's hand. "Come on, girls. Let's go to the store so we can have some fun the rest of this week,"

"Hai, Sani!" Yuzu smiled at the tall babysitter. "C'mon, Karin."

Karin huffed. She stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I'm comin', I'm coming."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two--

The three girls browsed the grocery stored owned by the kindly but small Takenowa-san. Sani smiled at him as she led the Kurosaki girls into it. It was only two blocks away from their house, so Sani made them walk. Karin looked around as the hair on the back of her neck. The pressure in the air around her was starting to get even heavier. Whatever it was was coming closer, and then beaten back. Biting her lip in consternation, she looked around. She could not sense too much where the pressure was coming from, but she hoped that the good guy won.

"Do you all like spinach?" Sani asked, snapping Karin back to the present world.

Yuzu was furiously shaking her head no. Karin was content to let her sister take the heat for that one. Living with their dad had not turned them into the healthiest eaters. Biting her thumbnail, she looked around again. The pressure was getting heavier…

"What about artichokes? And bean sprouts?" Sani crinkled her nose. "Scratch that. These are nasty,"

Karin scoffed, "Are you just going down the isles or something?"

Sani flushed. "Yup. I know what I like, and I know what you like whenever you all actually have food in the house. Grocery shopping is a whole new ballpark for me,"

"Uh-huh," Karin said, bored. She looked around the small merchant shop. All sorts of people bustled around, the same people she saw every day. Megumi-sensei was looked at the carrot selection skeptically while her husband fingered the avocados. Sanouji-chan was ordering some type of meat at the deli, and Okonkwo-san just seemed to wander up in down the isles, eavesdropping on different conversations. His dark eyes flickered over to them for what Karin was sure the sixth time. She cast a look up at Sani, who remained blissfully oblivious to their next door neighbor. In Karin's mind, he was a creep.

"What about fruits? I know that you like grapes and watermelons, but what else?" Sani asked Yuzu. She had long since given up on trying to convince Karin to take an active role in their shopping.

"You like apples, Sani," Yuzu dutifully answered.

Sani chuckled. "I know that, Yuzu. I want to know what you like. What do you normally get when you and your father do the shopping?"

Karin had to intervene. Yuzu was too shy sometimes to be vocal her likes and dislikes. If Karin was not vigilant, kids at school would walk over her sister heedlessly. "She likes kumquats, limes, kiwis and basically anything that is green," Karin glanced at Yuzu. "And I like tomatoes, broccoli and grapefruit."

"See Yuzu, that wasn't so hard." Sani admonished gently.

Karin rolled her eyes. Sani was too nice most of the time. A good babysitter would have smacked Yuzu up side the head and told her to be normal. "I'm bored," she declared. "Let's go to the next isle,"

"Whatever you want, kid," Sane agreed amiably. Karin scowled. It was too early in the morning for someone to be so perky.

As the strode away, a middle ranged voice called to them. "Excuse me!"

Sani stopped as Yuzu and Karin kept walking. The man could obviously not speaking to them. She looked at him with a smile. Karin grabbed Yuzu's wrist, jerking her to stop. Sani was approaching the creepy Okonkwo-san, unaware of the danger. Yuzu's eyes widened in understanding.

"May I help you, Mr.?"

"Oh, uh, Okonkwo Ichiru-san," he said with a blithe smile.

"Reiko Hisana-san," Sani shook his hand delicately. "It's a pleasure,"

Okonkwo-san looked at her for a moment. His cheeks were bright red. She patiently waited for him to release her hand. After a moment, he dropped it, his cheeks the color of tomatoes, and he was stuttering. "S-s-sorry. You dropped this," he said, holding up a can of bean sprouts, with a grin. "I thought you might be missing it,"

Sani took the can from him gingerly. She looked at it speculatively. "Why, I did not realize I had dropped this. Thank you very much, Okonkwo-san,"

"You are welcome, Reiko-san," he grinned at her. Nodding to Yuzu and Karin, he inquired, "Are those your girls?"

Sani cast a glance back at them. "Yes, they are." She said. Karin and Yuzu shared a glance. It was not a lie but it was not the full truth either. Sani called them her girls, the Kurosaki's were the closest family, even if they were not blood related. Yet since she was not their mother, they were--in the most literal sense--not her girls. It was all about interpretation.

"They're cute," he complimented.

Sani grinned at him. "Thank you,"

"Just like you, Reiko-san," he finished.

"Oh," Hisana-san flushed brightly. "Thank you, Okonkwo-san,"

"It is nothing, Reiko-san," Okonkwo looked too proud for her tastes.

Sani grinned at him. "That is sweet of you. Have a good day, Okonkwo-san."

"Are you doing anything this Friday, Reiko-san?" Okonkwo-san asked as she turned to walk away.

Looking over her shoulder, Sani grinned. "Yeah, I am. It's my week the girls. Maybe some other time." With that, she took Yuzu's hand and walked to the next isle.

"Wow," Karin said as she put soba noodles in the basket. "That was awkward,"

Sani laughed, "You have no idea. Now, c'mon let's go and get this stuff home, and put up. Then, we can Karin to soccer practice before we go to the fabric store, Yuzu."

"Okay!" Yuzu said. With strong hands, she took the basket from Sani and sauntered over to the first of two lines. She grinned brightly up at Takenowa-san's wife, Minemira-sama.

"Hello, Yuzu-chan!" Minemira-sama looked down at Yuzu. "My my, you've got a lot of food this week!"

"Hai, Minemira-sama. Hisana-san is watching us this week," Yuzu exclaimed vibrantly.

"Really?" Minemira-sama looked up as Sani and Karin walked over. She gave the two a cordial nod. "You don't normally accompany your sister, Kurosaki-san,"

Karin shrugged. "Sani-san's making us all go together. 'Family bonding'" Karin said with air quotes.

Minemira-sama gaily laughed. "It is good for the soul,"

"Hai," Sani agreed.

"You haven't been around here in a while, Hisana-chan," Minemira-sama continued.

Sani shrugged. "I moved downtown," she said apologetically. "It's closer to the school,"

"So you are still teaching, ne?" Minemira-sama ran their items over the scanner.

"Yes, ma'am."

"You're not even twenty-one yet, Hisana-san,"

Sani shrugged. "I guess I'm just smart,"

Minemira-sama nodded her head in agreement. "That you are. Graduated university at seventeen. That is impressive,"

"I had help," Sani admitted sheepishly.

They paid for their groceries and left. Sani strolled, looking at the scenery. Cars drove by, people hurrying to get their lunch and then get back to the office. Kids played on the sides of the street, enjoying the midsummer's heat. She bit her lip when a young child and his father waved at them. Yuzu waved at her friends from the school, and a boy was tagging along behind Karin, a football in tow.

"Sani?" Yuzu tugged on her wristlet. "Can I go play with Aora and Riku?"

Sani glanced over to the two girls standing a few feet away. They were a few houses down from the Kurosaki clinic. She nodded her head. "Have fun,"

Yuzu shifted her paper sack to Karin, who had not been carrying anything. Karin scowled at her sister. Now she had to help Sani carry the groceries back to the house and help put them away. It was on the tip of her tongue and Yuzu beat her to it. Now she would have to put off playing football with the guys until later.

"Here you go, Chan," Sani-san said as she hefted Karin's bag into her left arm. "Go ahead and play ball. You can help with the house later,"

Karin grinned. "Thanks, Sani!"

"Be safe and be home by five!" Sani ordered.

"Hai!" Karin yelled over her shoulder as she ran as fast as she could to the football field. She turned into an alleyway. It was a shortcut, and she could to the fields in half the time. She wrinkled her nose as the overflowing dumpster than leaked onto the gray cement when suddenly, a familiar face fell from the sky. He hit the ground hard, bits of pavement and dust exploding up, forming a giant cloud. Karin coughed as she squinted through the debris, searching in vain for him. "Toushiro!"

There was a strained cough to her left. Karin darted forward. Amidst the chaos, she saw the short shinigami groan as he sat up. His katana lay by his feet, snapped in two from the harsh impact. He absentmindedly ran a hand through his bleached locks; little chunks of debris rained down.

Karin ran forward. "Toushiro-kun! Are you all right?" She put a hand behind his back to keep him steady.

"Kurosaki?" he grunted out as he opened one eye. He glared at her. "What are you doing here? Leave, you fool!"

"Are you all right, Toushiro-kun? Did you break anything?"

"Oh, how cute," a deep voice laughed.

Still clutching Toushiro, Karin whipped around. A giant, dark-skinned man loomed at the other end of the alley. He had long, bushy sideburns and a ponytail, yet the top of his head was balk. There was a jawbone--complete with teeth--attached to his ugly face. What drew Karin's gaze was the gaping hole in the middle of his chest. By all accounts, he should have been dead.

"Who are you? What did you do to Toushiro-kun?" Karin yelled at him.

Meanwhile, Toushiro was struggling to get out of her vice-like grip. He knew that he did not have much left in him, but he had to give Kurosaki enough time to get away from Yammy. Schiffer was around somewhere too. He elbowed the human, forcing her to loosen her death grip enough for him to squirm away. Despair wrecked his heart when he saw Hyorinmaru lay at his feet. His zanpakuto had snapped in half, and was useless now for he could do not shikai and bankai. Wiping away the stream of blood that fell from above his right eyebrow, he yelled at Kurosaki, "Run!"

"Toushiro!" she called back.

He stood up, shaking as pain wracked his body. He picked up his trusted sword's hilt and twirled it around flamboyantly twice. Yammy raised a fiery eyebrow and the laughed. It was a deep belly laugh that shook the windows and made Karin bounce up and down on the ground, scraping her knees. Her face was wet from the tears she silently shed. Somehow, as Toushiro walked confidently to the giant man, she knew it was his death walk. He did not mean to come back to her. The big man without warning shot a giant laser beam from his palm. Toushiro jumped up, and the beam shot beneath him, hitting the ground in front of Karin. She screamed as she was blasted up into the air. Toushiro's eyes opened wide. He shunpoed as fast as he could, scrambling through the air to get to the quickly falling Kurosaki Karin.

He deftly caught her and took them both safely to the ground. His eyes scanned the alley. Hyorinmaru was at Yammy's feet now, with no way for Toushiro to reach him quickly. He could run and run fast, but that would only draw the fight out into the open where innocent people might be caught in the crossfire. The espada would have no problem relieving them of their souls and discarding the empty shells.

Karin's eyes snapped open. Screaming a name that meant nothing to the white haired shinigami, she jumped out of Toushiro's arms and looked around. The man was cackling evilly, and she felt fear coil in the pit of her stomach. Grabbing his wrist, Karin pulled them both behind a rank dumpster. She fought back the urge to vomit. She called for Sani, but that did not mean her babysitter would get to them in time--if she even heard Karin at all. Her eyes locked in on a rotting baseball bat that someone had thrown away. It was half-broken and splinters fell from it like rain. Bracing herself, she grabbed it and tightly gripped it in both of her hands. She would only have one chance.

The large man advanced towards them, a swagger in his steps. It would be too easy for him. One blast of his cero and they were hiding like the children they were. He had no idea who the girl was, but that was of little consequence. She had a high reiatsu, and she would taste good. Girls always tasted better than boys. She looked a little familiar to Yammy, but he was confident that they had never crossed paths before. If they had, she would not still be living. He would kill the short captain and then make quick work of the girl. Aizen-sama had sent Yammy along with Ulquiorra to the human world to observe the two remaining quincies. Aizen-sama had use for them yet. Bumping into the squirt was a bonus in Yammy's simplistic mind.

Hitsugaya-taicho looked at Kurosaki in consternation. The fool girl had trapped them behind a dumpster. He would have to resort to demon magic to fight of Yammy. He would best the arrancar with skill, cunning and prowess but it would take much more effort for him to do so. Yammy would put a strong fight; he was a brute if nothing else. He glanced at Kurosaki-kun. She was gripping a broken bat tightly, scrutinizing Yammy as he cockily strode to them. No, the girl was not idiotic enough to think that she could best Yammy by herself, with half of a wooden stick as her only weapon? Of course she would think that, she was Kurosaki Ichigo's sister after all.

"Don't," he hissed at her.

She whipped around and looked at him with defiant eyes. "You are in no shape to fight, Toushiro-kun, so shut up!" she ordered.

Karin peaked around the metal bin. He was just three feet away. With a guttural battle cry, she leapt out from her hiding spot. She swung the bat with all of her might. It his his knee and Yammy yelped in surprise as much as pain. Furious, he blasted a cero at the girl's head. The taicho pushed her out of the way with his body, and the cero exploded the dumpster that they had used for cover. Garbage fell from the sky, littering the ground with the pungent waste of humans. Yammy looked at it in disgust. They would be better off it they all died. No one deserved to live in the filth that they so readily embraced.

Drawing his sword out, he prepared to release it when something cold hit the back of his head. He turned sightly to the right to see a girl maybe five-foot-two blocking the entrance. At her feet were two brown sacks filled with what looked like food. In her hand she held a metal can. Not even breaking stride as she ran towards him, she chucked it at his head with all of her might. It hit Yammy right in the middle of his forehead. The great oaf took a step backwards as stars clouded his vision.

"Sani!" Karin yelled. Above her, Toushiro--who was shielding her body with his own--looked at the woman. Her long purple hair was falling down from whatever coiffure she had arranged it into, and her large blue-violet eyes blazed with such a fire that Toushiro had never seen.

Without a scream or a battle cry, she sprinted to Yammy. She stumbled forward, ducking below the cero he shot from him hand to grab the discarded bat. Swinging with all of her might, Reiko Hisana unleashed all of her one hundred-five pounds of fury on Yammy. He swung his katana at her neck, but she dodged it only to jab the splintered bat into his left eye. Without stopping, she swung it around hitting his temple. The bat smashed against his head, momentarily blinding Yammy. The shattered bat now useless was dropped to the ground. Grabbing his wrist, Sani snapped it. The katana fell to the ground where she kicked it out of the way.

"You bitch!" Yammy seethed. Clasping his hands together, he pulled down with all of his might. Sani screamed as he hit her shoulder, dislocating it.

Resolve would win the battle. Hisana had no idea who the man was or why he had any reason to attack to children, but she was determined to put at stop to it. With her right hand, she grabbed his collar and pulled down. His forehead smacked against the brick wall. The force shoved his bruised head back up. Sani pulled down again and again and again until he was bleeding from multiple gashes and cuts. She released him, and the large man fell to the ground, unconscious. He was sure to have a severe concussion at the very least, she secretly hoped it was much more permanent brain damage.

"Are you all right?" she asked Karin as she walked over to her and the boy, cradling her arm.

"Sani," Karin gasped, "Are you okay? You arm's hurt! How did you learn how to do that?"

She shrugged and screamed as pain coursed through her body. "No idea," she said through clenched teeth as the pain subsided. "I guess it was just instinct and self-preservation."

"Okay," Karin said skeptically. Her attention was drawn to other matters as Toushiro collapsed, unconscious beside her. "Toushiro!" she called loudly.

"A friend of yours?" Sani asked her ward.

Karin nodded. "Yeah…he's a friend of Nii-san's, too,"

"Okay, we'll take him back to the clinic and fix him up there, hai?"

"Hai," Karin answered the babysitter in a shaky voice.

"If you will get the food, Karin, I will carry Toushiro. That is his name, ne?"

"Hai." Karin picked up the grocery bags. They were dripping wet. Some of the food had become casualties during their fight with the man. She was glad that it was the eggs and not their brains.

Biting her lip hard, Sani grabbed her left arm and shoved her arm back into the socket. Tears poured out of her eyes and she bit her lip so hard that it split. Karin watched her in gory fascination. Praying that she could withstand the pain, Sani scooped the boy up in her arms. He was a little thing, just barely taller than Karin. He had no business fighting someone as large as the beast laying in the middle of the alley. She cast a glance at the broken katana lying on the opposite end of the alley. Karin's gaze seemed to linger on it.

"Is it his?" she asked the girl who nodded.

"Hai,"

"Okay." Walking over, she grunted as she picked up both of the pieces. Laying them carefully so she did not accidently impale the kid, she grabbed the man's as well. The last thing she wanted was him to come to and follow them in a crazed anger, armed with a weapon that could do some real damage. "Let's get back to the house," she told Karin.

Floating up above the alley, Ulquiorra watched as the woman led the child out. It surprised him that the human could best Yammy when the tenth division captain could not. True, with Aizen's furious use of the Hougyoku after the shinigami's invasion had tripled the remaining espada's power, he had not expected the shinigami to last long. But to watch a human with adequate reiatsu but no show of any type of spiritual power beat the tenth espada into unconscious submission was unexpected. Free falling down to the ground, the terse arrancar threw his companion over his shoulder. Aizen-sama would be very interested in the events that had passed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three--

Yuzu was frantic when she saw her family walking to their house. She ran from her friends to comfort them and to confront them. Karin's friend looked like he had picked a fight with the wrong kid and somehow, she and Sani had intervened. Yuzu knew that Sani was too mature to fight with a child so she had no way to logically explain her injuries. Yuzu was in hysterics. Karin scoffed as Sani soothed Yuzu; her sister needed more attention than anyone else, and she had not even been there when the fight had happened!

She had to tend to her own injuries to a certain extent before she could take care of the boy. Sani changed into sweatpants and a tank top. Her shoulder was already turning a lovely shade of magenta splotched with dark blue. She hissed as she put ice on it and then bandaged it to keep it in place as it healed.

Gingerly, Hisana pealed off the boy's haori. It was odd to see someone--especially one so young--in traditional garb. His pale skin was painted with bright magenta bruises lying overtop dark purple ones. Behind those were a patchwork of faded green and brown ones. Hitsugaya Toushiro's skin looked like art. Grimacing for the poor kid, she proceeded to pull off his hakama, leaving him only in his underwear. Sending Yuzu off to get him some of Ichigo-san's pajamas, Sani gently began to doctor the many scrapes, abrasions and cuts that decorated his skin. She did not have the medical knowledge that Mr. Kurosaki did, but she knew the basics: hydrogen peroxide and neosporin, add it with band-aides and that was how she fixed up each and every booboo that a child had presented her with. It was difficult to tell if anything was broken or dislocated, but she did the best she could.

With Yuzu's help, they dressed him in a pair of light blue p.j.'s and then set him in Ichigo's bed to sleep. After that, Sani started on dinner. Hitsugaya Toushiro, taicho of the tenth division, woke up to the smell of soba noodles being fried. His stomach growled, urging him to sit up. Looking around, he froze. It took him a few minutes to realize that this new territory was not so new. He had been in Kurosaki Ichigo's room once before. Karin must have brought him back to her home after the fight. No doubt she had to explain things to her father; Kurosaki Isshin might have left the Seiretei but he was still was spiritually aware. Very much so, in fact.

Tossing back the sheets, he stepped down onto the carpeted floor. It squished beneath his toes. Being barefoot was something Toushiro did not do often. He trod carefully down the hallway, uncomfortable in the new surroundings. Things would have been better if Hyorinmaru was with him, but the trusty dragon was no where to be found. He prayed that Kurosaki had had enough sense to not leave it behind for Yammy to take. He heard a peal of laughter that most definitely did not belong to the girl Kurosaki. It was far too delicate and melodious for Karin's deep voice. Peeking around the corner, he saw Karin's sister--Yuzu--humming to herself as she poured tea into glasses. Karin was setting the table and then the woman with purple hair stirred the soba noodles. They were laughing and chatting about some boy named Yuu. He couldn't tell which one of them had a crush on the kid, but his interest was piqued.

The woman turned and saw him. She smiled as she called,"Oh, good. You're up. I was worried that you were going to sleep all day. I would have had a heck of time explaining you injuries to a doctor,"

Tourshiro looked down at his hand. Even they were covered with a myriad of colors. Only then did he realize the enormous amount of pain that he was in. His eyes sprang open and he gapsed loudly.

"Toushiro-kun!" Kurosaki-san yelled as she ran towards him. "You all right?"

His response was a scowl.

"C'mon, kid." Two arms picked him up.

Toushiro began to squirm. The woman had no idea what she was doing. The indignity of it all! The injustice! His pride could not take any more as she set him down on the couch, mindful of his injuries. The mousy haired girl covered him with a blanket. Her cheeks were flaming as she made sure to tuck it in all of the nooks and crannies that his body pressed against the sofa made. The babysitter was fluffing his pillow, and Toushiro wished that he could have died. His pride would never recover from the humiliation.

"Are you hungry?" the girl asked.

He opened his mouth to say no, but his infuriating stomach betrayed him by growling loudly. If he hadn't known better, it would've sounded like Hyorinmaru was inside of him. The woman laughed. "We're having soba noodles and rice patties. Do you like those things?"

"Hai," he answered ruefully.

"Good. We were going to eat around the table, but since we have a guest, I suppose that we can eat in front of the t.v.. Karin?"

"Way ahead of you, Sani." Karin left Toushiro's side to fetch the napkins and silverware. After placing them on the coffee table, she returned to the kitchen. Toushiro heard a door clank open and moments later, there was cutlery sitting on his knees.

The woman--Sani--put a steaming bowl of soba noodles in his lap. The bowl was rimmed with rice patties. She grinned at him. "Do you need anything else, Toushiro-kun?"

He blinked. "How do you know my name?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew that answer. Kurosaki-kun. Duh.

The woman did not seem to mind. "Karin told me. I'm Sani, by the way, and the cute girl who's not Karin is her twin, Yuzu."

Toushiro nodded to them in turn. "Thank you for your hospitality, Sani-sama,"

Sani flushed brightly. Then, she laughed. "You can just call me Sani, Toushiro-kun. Save the honorific for somebody who needs their ego stroked,"

Toushiro nodded his head without the intention of doing so. One thing the different ranks of shinigami with the Seiretei had taught him was to respect those who are your rank and above, but also to respect those whom you were indebted to. The woman before him had saved his life, and Kurosaki's as well. He owed her much. They settled down to watch television. Hitsugaya-taicho really did not pay it much heed. His mind was reeling. He had to get out the house, soon. Mastumoto-san and then rest of his subordinates would be looking for him. He made no attempt to hide his spiritual pressure, but there was always the chance that they were busy or fearful to barge into a human household without sufficient evidence. Knowing his lieutenant, she was waiting for him to return to her.

"So, Tourshiro-kun," Sani-sama said as she set her tea on the coffee table, "Do you have anyone you want us to call? A parent? A guardian?"

The shinigami blanched. How the hell was he supposed to tell her no? He did not look like some little ruffian who lived like a vagabond on the streets, stealing for food. Those days were behind him, thank you very much, and he refused to revert to that lifestyle. He supposed that he could always summon his lieutenant. They were still housing themselves at Inoue's, even though she was in the Seiretei with Kurosaki-kun and the rest of his gang of ryuoka. It was taken much longer than expected from them to recover from their injuries sustained in Hueco Mundo.

The front door was rapped on several times in forceful manner. Standing, Sani-sama motioned for the children to remain seated as she moved down the hall way towards it. Hitsugaya sensed an enormous spiritual pressure surrounding the house. Sani braced and swung the door open. She was not expecting to see Ichigo and five others standing, waiting for entrance.

The boy gasped when he saw Sani open the door. "Sani-san!" he cried, "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" she asked. "What the hell are you doing here? Where have you been?" she yelled.

"Hanging with my friends," Ichigo took a step backwards. He could not go far because his friends had formed a wall, refusing to budge an inch. Chad had met Sani before, but no one else had. If they had, they would have parted like the Red Sea, and run for cover themselves.

"For the entire summer? Ichigo! How could you!" she yelled. "Do you have any idea how worried we were without you?"

"Ichi-nii!" Yuzu's excited voice carried throughout the house.

Ichigo blanched. "Uhh…" He heard the excitement in his sister's voice, saw the anger in Sani's eyes, and could feel the disappointment that oozed out of Karin.

"Of course you don't! Now, get inside the house and up to your room before I shove my foot so far up your ass that it comes out your throat! And I swear, I won't take it out any time soon!"

Eyes as wide as saucers, Ichigo scrambled over her and up the stairs. Hisana stared after him, waiting until she heard the door slam before she turned her attention to the rest of them. "May I help you?" her tone was cordial, but her expression was too neutral for comfort.

The five exchanged glances. "Hi," a cute redhead said. "My name is Inoue Orihime, an-"

"So your this Inoue that I keep hearing about!" Sani's face lit up.

Inoue-san flushed brightly. "I-I don't k-k…know?" She made it sound like a question.

"Karin's right. You are beautiful," Sani continued, unabashed. "You all must be Ichigo's friends. You're more than welcome to come in. We just finished eating soba noodles. Would you like some?"

"Soba noodles?" Inoue clasped her hands together and looked at Hisana like she was an angel. "Yes! Oh, yes, please!"

Sani laughed. "Come on in, then. Make yourself at home."

Two boys and three girls filed into the house, kicking off their shoes as they did so. Sani watched them and realized that she would have to make more soba noodles. "Taicho!" the tallest of them yelled.

Sani looked to see Toushiro sit up a little bit straighter on the couch. His face was bright red and his mouth hung open. With his emerald eyes and white hair, he looked like he a Christmas decoration. Biting her lip, she addressed the woman. "Is this your son? Karin mentioned that he was a friend of Ichigo's."

"My son?" The woman seemed to ask. She smiled at Hisana and said, "Why yes, he is. I've been worried sick. Where have you bee, Toushiro?" She wagged her finger in front of her son's nose. Toushiro was turning maroon with each syllable uttered by the woman.

"I'm sorry, Mrs…?"

"Matsumoto. Matsumoto-Rangiku," the woman gave Sani a smile.

"What a beautiful name. I'm Reiko Hisana," she extended her hand.

Matsumoto-san's eyes grew wide as there was a gasp from behind her. Sani looked at a short girl--and she very short, for even Sani could see above her head--stared at her with an open mouth. They looked remarkably similar, and Sani wondered how that was possible. Rukia stared, her eyes focusing and unfocusing on a face that she had only seen in pictures. No. That wasn't possible. There was no way…

"Are you all right?" Hisana took a step towards her.

"Hai. I must go. I forgot something that I have to do!" the girl turn and ran out the door.

"Rukia!" Inoue-san called to her friend. She made to follow her but a boy with glasses grabbed Inoue's elbow. He shook his head, telling her that later was better.

"Is she okay?" Hisana asked Inoue-san.

"She had a sister named Hisana who died," the boy with the glasses intervened. "You remind Rukia of her,"

Sani flushed. "I am so sorry."

"It's all right, Sani," Ichigo said as he bounded down the stairs. He heard the entire exchange. "You can't help what your parents named you."

Matsumoto-san was paler than milk when Sani addressed her next. "No, thank you. I have food at home," she turned down the offer for dinner. "I'll just…just take my son and be on our way."

Sani nodded her head. She picked a squirming Toushiro up and handed him to the red faced Matsumoto. "I found him and Karin in a fight with some other kids," Hisana lied smoothly. "I tried to fix everything up the best that I could, but you might want to take him to a doctor."

"Of course," the woman said. She did not seem worried about her child's injuries but rather seemed to find them humorous. Hisana scowled as she handed the squirming child over to his mother. "I'll make an appointment for the first available time tomorrow."

"Good,"

"See you later then, Hisana-chan!" Matsumoto called over her shoulder as she walked to the door. "We should do lunch!"

Hisana shut the door behind them. "Weird family," she muttered to herself. She went upstairs to shower as Ichigo settled down with his friends.

-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-==--==--=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=-=-==--=-=-=-=

Rukia ran with all of her might. She could feel Matsumoto-san and Hitsugaya-taicho pursuing her. She had to get to her brother before they could stop her. Nii-sama deserved to know the truth. If she was right…She did not even have to second guess herself. Rukia knew with all of her heart that Ichigo's babysitter was the reincarnation of her sister. When she looked at Hisana, it was as if she had found her favorite toy, lost for so many months. The eye contact was enough proof for Rukia. At last, after the months of regret and curiosity, the empty years of pain for her brother, they all could end.

"Urahara!" Rukia yelled into the shop. She bumped into Tessai as she ran, but that did not stop her. She kept going, full throttle, until she literally collided with the ex-shinigami.

"What's the matter, Rukia-san?" Urahara Kisuke asked in a calm voice. He looked down at the flustered girl with a kind but bored grin.

"I need to get back to Seiretei now!" Rukia demanded. Tear tracks were evident on her face. Her brother…she needed to see her brother. He couldn't've known! He would have told her! He would have, Rukia tried convince herself.

The shop owner looked down at the girl. Her cheeks were puffy and her eyes were swollen. Sweat dripped off of her from her break neck run and shunpo. Determination coursed through her, and though she was small, she stood tall, proud and authoritative, every inch a Kuchiki. Thinking it best to not pester her today, he nodded. "Very well. This way."

He led her down to the ladder to the basement where a constructed portal was already waiting. Once again, Rukai wanted to question his omniscience, but would settle for later. She needed to see her brother. "What's got ants in your pants?" Urahaha asked.

"None of your business," Rukia evenly answered before stepping through the portal.

Instead of running, she shunpoed to the sixth division headquarters. Bursting in the room, she startled the people in doing their paper work, meaning Renji. "Rukia!" he said as he jumped up a foot in the air. "What are you doing here?"

"Where is Nii-sama? Where is my brother?" she demanded her best friend.

The red head sat in his desk but pushed his chair back as far as it could go. With each word she spoke, Rukia had leaned forward. Both of her hands were on his desk; her face was inches from his. "He's at the captains meeting," he whispered.

"Why aren't you with him?" Rukia demanded to know. She might as well have been on his lap. If she moved any closer to him, their noses would touch.

He held his hands up defensively. "It's a captains only meeting, or else, I would be with him."

Not even bothering to thank her best friend, Rukia bolted out of the door.

"Hey, Rukia!" Renji shouted. "Wait up!" He grabbed Zabimaru and followed her. "Why are you looking for him?"

"I need to talk with him!" Rukia yelled as she sped to the captains' hall.

"What's so important that it can't wait until he's done?" he asked, catching up with her easily. Rukia had never had the world's fastest shunpo.

"Family," Rukia said stopping when they reached the front halls.

"What do you mean?" Renji panted out.

Not responding, Rukia pulled Sode no Shirayuki out of her hilt and barged into the meeting room. The captains stood at attention, in order, each one focusing their attention on the soutaicho. When the doors snapped open ominously, all heads snapped to see the form of Kuchiki Rukia storm in, Sode no Shirayuki in hand. Abari Renji followed her. It appeared the he was trying to stop the girl from her mission, but she was having none of it.

"There you are!" she yelled when she spotted her brother.

Kuchiki-taicho widened his eyes in surprise. "Rukia?"

Eyes blazing with fury and fear, she held her zanpakuto in both hands. Her hands shook, and tears streamed out of her eyes. "Did you know?" she seethed as she advanced towards him. "Did you know?"

"Rukia? What are you doing?" he asked, his voice tightly controlled. Her eyes were wide and her pupils were fully dilated. Soi Fong-taicho stepped forward, her hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto, ready to spring into action if need be. Kuchiki-taicho held a hand up, halting her. He knew that his sister presented no threat to him. Something had upset her and she was looking to him for guidance.

"Did you know?"she yelled. "Did you know about my sister?"

"Rukia?" Ukitake took a step forward. She was in his division, and he always felt responsible for her. "Are you all right? Put Sode no Shirayuki down and let's talk,"

Rukia snarled at her captain. "Stay out of this! Did you know, brother? Did you know?" she yelled.

Kuchiki-taicho grasped the Sode no Shirayuki's hilt. He took it from Rukia's grasp. It was not hard; she was so disturbed by something that she barely had the strength to hold it. "Did I know what, Rukia?"

Rukia looked at her brother, the man who was supposed to love her and protect her and be honest with her. "About my sister," she hissed.

Silence descended in the hall. All heads focused on the sobbing girl. Nothing else was more important, not even to the soutaicho. Well, maybe the soutaicho, Renji reasoned, but everyone else was too interested in the little sopa opera that was playing out before their eyes. Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes snapped open, wider than anyone would have thought possible. His grip on the zanpakuto was so strong that his knuckles were bright white. Now his hands shook. "What are you talking about?" he snarled.

"She's back…she's reincarnated! Did you know?" she yelled at him.

"What are you talking about?" Kuchiki asked again.

"My sister is alive again in the living world? Did you know about it?" Rukia's mind was on one track. She had to know, and she had to know now.

"That's impossible, Rukia. You know that," Ukitake tried to sound soothing.

"No! NO! NO! N_O! NO!__** NO!**_" she screamed. "It's not impossible! People've reincarnated before! It isn't impossible! I saw her, taicho! I saw her! She's with Ichigo--I saw her!"

"Kurosaki Ichigo and his family?" the soutaicho's gruff voice broke in.

"Hai!" Rukia hissed at the old man. "She's with them. Their babysitter,"

"She has been employed by Kurosaki Isshin, neh? That does not surprise me. Kuchiki-taicho, it does in fact seem that your wife has reincarnated," the soutaicho announced o all of the captains.

"What evidence do you have?" Captain Soi Fong demanded.

"Before she married Kuchiki-taicho, Reiko Hisana served in the Seiretei as fukutaicho to Kurosaki-taicho of the third division, and the as fukutaicho to Urahara-taicho of the twelfth. She was very loyal to Kurosaki Isshin, and if somehow, she found a way to work for him in the realm of the living, that does not shock me in the least."

"My sister was a soul reaper?" Rukia gasped, shocked. That was not the image of her sister that she had created in her brain. No. She thought that Hisana was someone beautiful, graceful, delicate, and poised, someone who compliment her brother, someone who was respected by all of the nobles despite her background in Inuzuri. She was beautiful and confident, demure, the perfect candidate for the Kuchiki bride. Hisana being a soul reaper never even entered her imaginings.

"Hai, and a talented one at that. If she had not retired when she did, she would have become a captain in the stead of Tousen," Yamamoto-soutaicho confessed.

No one save Rukia and Renji seemed to be surprised by that announcement. Rukia looked around, curious if all of the Gotei 13 captains knew her sister.

"Kuchiki-taicho!" the high-pitched voice of Matsumoto-fukutaicho rang out. "I love your wife!"

"Matsumoto, I forbid you to continue!" Hitsugaya commanded his subordinate. The order would have been more well received if he had not been wearing Ichigo's blue pajamas. Seeing him again sent the vice-captain into another fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Renji asked his friend.

"Taicho--" she wheezed out, clutching her stomach because she was laughing so hard. "Taicho--"

"Spit it out already," Zaraki ordered gruffly.

"I forbid it, Matsumoto," Histugaya ordered. He was beat red.

"Taicho--Sana--she thought he was my kid!" she laughed out loud after each syllable. "He--hurt!" she laughed some mored. There were mixed reactions from captains. Some were grinning at the youngest captain's embarrassment at the hands of the unknowing woman; others were displeased by his lieutenant's amusement at his sustained injuries. Matsumoto continued, heedless of her orders. "She treated him like a baby! She even wouldn't let him walk! Had to carry him around like---a----a---a---a baby!" she squealed.

Hitsugaya could not run from the snickers of his peers. His head hung in shame. Nothing would ever fix his pride. "She was always motherly to a certain extent," Kuchiki-taicho muttered.

Hitsugaya groaned. Things could not get any worse.

"Hitsugaya-taicho," Yamamoto said, "Where is your zanpakuto?"

Damn it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four--

"Well?" the soutaicho waited patiently for the captain to answer.

"She's got it," he muttered.

"Who?" Yamamoto wanted him to clarify and embarrass himself even more.

Meeting his superior's eyes, Hitsugaya answered in a deadpanned tone. "Hyorinmaru is in the possession of one Reiko Hisana, current residence at the Kurosaki home. Unless she left him in the alley with Yammy and his sword."

"Arrancar were involved?" Yamamoto asked. The merry feeling drained from the atmosphere. All of the captains listened intently.

"Hai. The tenth espada Yammy and the fourth one. I was ambushed during a patrol and while waiting for my seal to be broken, I was beaten back. Kurosaki Karin found me in an alleyway, fighting the tenth espada, and tried to intervene. Hyorinmaru snapped during the altercation, and we were beaten back. Sani-sama arrived and proceeded to fight Yammy. Quickly, she gained the upper hand and bested the espada. The next thing I remember is being in the Kurosaki household," confessed the white haired shinigami.

They all paused to think. "Either this Reiko-san has two zanpakutos and no way to access either one, or it if Yammy has any brains about him, Aizen has Hyorinmaru," Zaraki mused.

"Or Hyorinmaru awaits his owner in the alley," Komamura pointed out.

"If he is an espada, then he must have some amount of wit about him. I agree with Zaraki-taicho. It is either one or the other," Soi Fong announced.

"Then how do we go about retrieving it?" Ukitake posed the dreaded question.

"What we?" Zaraki sneered. "The squirt lost it, let 'im deal with it. After all, he does seem to be familiar with the subject. Sani-sama?"

"You could always ask her," offered Kyoraku, speaking for the first time. "When she was in my division, Hisana-chan was very honest and trustworthy. I doubt that time would erode such attributes. Hell, send her husband. He'll get her to talk,"

"Reincarnation is not that simple, Shunsui and you know it," Ukitake sighed. "If Reiko-san is indeed the reincarnation of Reiko-fukutaicho, than she has no memory of her original life. If any of us were to appear, she would not recognize us."

"Soutaicho said that she went to work for Ichigo's dad because of their past," Renji pointed out. He saw the look of hopelessness in Rukia's eyes and he had to end it. Throughout her life, Rukia had never lost hope. Now should not be any different.

"There was a deep bond between Reiko-fukutaicho and Kurosaki-taicho. He acted as a dear mentor to her for several decades. A bond like that cannot be erased all the way,"

"She was married to taicho!" Renji retorted, standing up to the old man for the first time ever. Normally, he saw the man and was either quaking in the knees or asleep on his feet. "That has to create a bond!"

The old captain sighed. "This is something that you are capable of understanding. Hitsugaya-taicho, take your team and return to the world of the living. Find Hyorinmaru. If you cannot, report back in and we shall discuss the matter further."

"Hai, soutaicho!" Hitsugaya bowed low. "Come, Matsumoto," he ordered as he turned on his heel.

"Taicho," the lieutenant whispered as they made their way back to the gate. "Why do you think that Reiko-san has Hyorinmaru?"

The captain looked down. "She has my uniform as well."

Matsumoto fought valiantly to keep in her giggles. Really. She did.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Brother!" Rukia cried to Byakuya as they left the meeting hall. "If…if…if it really is her? What will happen?"

"Patience, Rukia. I shall take care of everything," he said stoically.

"Hai, Nii-sama. I am sorry for interrupting your meeting," she bowed low.

"It is forgiven. You were emotionally distraught and needed quick resolution. It is acceptable," he replied.

Rukia scrutinized her brother's face. "You forgive me so easily because it concerns Hisana," she concluded. Her brother did not answer. "Please, if it is her, let me see her. I want to know her," Rukia begged.

"Rukia, if this woman is in fact the reincarnation of your sister, and I am skeptical of it, I doubt she is even remotely like who Hisana was. She may look like her, but without her memories, this woman is an empty shell of my wife and nothing more," he said. He walked away, leaving Rukia standing in the middle of the street, heartbroken.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Karin told me what happened today," Ichigo broke the silence that had settled between the two of them. He leaned against the door frame with his arms folded against his chest. He scowled at his babysitter and long time friend. Sani ignored him, continuing to braid her hair. "You shouldn't've done that. Those people are dangerous,"

"So I should have let your sister and her friend die?" Sani scoffed, "I don't think that your dad would ask me back if I only had one of the two I started out with."

"You should have let Hitsugaya handle it. He is trained for that kind of thing," he retorted.

"Trained? Ichigo, he is a child! Like Karin! There is no training for that! What are you thinking?" Sani yelled. "Wait. The kid's name was Matsumoto Toushiro. That's what his mom said.

"You just wouldn't understand, Sani!" He threw his hands up in the air and grabbed his head. "No one understands!"

"Try me!" she shot back.

Ichigo sighed and looked at his friend long and hard. Sani did not shift once under his intense gaze. "Show me where it happened. That will make things easier for you to understand,"

"First thing tomorrow after breakfast then," Sani promised.

Ichigo shook his head. "No. Now,"

"No, not now, Ichigo. I just put your sisters to sleep. We can't leave them," she protested.

"Stop being responsible for once, Sani. This is more important!" Ichigo yelled. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her, trying to make Hisana undestand the gravity of the situation. "If this guy is who I think he is, then Karin and you are in more danger than you can even understand!"

Sani slapped his wrists. "Let go of me!" Once he complied, and was rubbing his wrist in pain, she conceded. "Fine, but we have to be quick. I don't like leaving the girls home alone."

"Trust me," Ichigo said, "It is the safest thing to do for them right now,"

They ran all the way to the alley. It was only a little ways from the Kurosaki house, so the trek did not take long. In his head questions buzzed around like swarms of bees, but he did not voice him. Running beside him easily as if the sprint was not difficult at all, Hisana had a look of such severity on her face that he did not want to risk her wrath. She glared ahead of her, daring anything and anyone to stop her in her mission to get to the alleyway and back, to protect Yuzu, Karin, and Ichigo. His dad could not have picked a better person all those years ago to watch them. She was loyal and loving and damned anything and everything when it came to them. He remembered once when a boy at the playground had taken a stuffed rabbit that belonged to Yuzu. Sani had slapped the kid to get the toy back and then fought with his mother for what felt like forever. She never apologized.

"Here," she said, skidding to a stop.

Ichigo recognized where they were. He was the one who showed it to Karin. They were running late to one of her soccer games. Slowly, he walked in, aware of the acrid smell that hung in the air. Trash lay everywhere, strewn about and haphazardly blowing in the wind. It was dark, and though the street lamp on the sidewalk illuminated the alley's entrance, it shed little light in the middle. An eerie silence crashed upon them as they walked, Ichigo leading, into it. He saw the remnants of the green dumpster. The metal was stuck in the walls of the buildings around them and embedded in the road. It astounded him that no one had heard the explosion. Karin had described Yammy using his cero several times. One of the blasts destroyed the dumpster; where had the others hit?

"I found them behind the dumpster." Sani pointed to where the dingy thing once stood. "The man had come from the opposite end of the alley."

Nodding, Ichigo made his way over to the other opening when his foot collided with something. Sprawled out face down on the ground, he found where Yammy's second cero blast had hit. There was a giant crater in the middle of the road, a good meter and a half by two. Having created his fair share of them, he recognized it instantly. Dusting his pants off, he turned back to face Sani, who stood almost in awe, as she looked around the alley.

"You okay?" he moved to stand in front of her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "It all just seems so surreal, looking back on it. It's hard to believe that it was twelve hours ago that I was here last. It feels like years,"

"It has been an exciting day," Ichigo agreed with a soft smile. "Now, tell me exactly what happened."

Sani nodded. "All right. Karin screamed my name, so I came running. I found her and Toushiro crouched behind a dumpster, with a tall dark skinned man advancing near them. He had thick red sideburns and barely enough hair to put in a ponytail. He had this huge hole in his chest, Ichigo. I mean, it was huge; you could see clear through it to the wall behind him.

"He was laughing malignantly, and I was so scared. Karin jumped out from behind it and she hit him with a broken back. He shot a red laser beam out of his hand--and I swear, Ichigo, I'm not making this up, but yeah, he shot it out of his hand. I almost screamed, because I was sure that it was going to hit Karin. Thankfully, Toushiro-kun shoved her out of the way, but the man was getting ready to attack them again. I had to do something. So…I picked up a can from the grocery bag and I through it at his head. That got his attention.

"I didn't have time to stop. Grabbing another can, I threw it at him again. It hit his head, stunning him long enough for me to grab the bat that your sister had dropped and swung it. It broke when it hit his temple."

"When did he hit you?" Ichigo asked.

"Uhh…" Sani thought, "Right after that. He clasped his hand together like this." Sani demonstrated, hissing in pain and then clutching her shoulder.

"Sani!"

"And…" she drew in a deep, steadying breath. "He brought them down on my shoulder, dislocating it. I don't know for sure, but I think that I fell down. I saw the fear in Karin's eyes and I knew that if I went down, the man would hurt her. I grabbed his jacket and pulled down. His head hit the wall and then I knew that was how I could stop him. I pulled down again and again and again and again!" she yelled, pulling with her arm. Her face was distorted and for a minute, Ichigo thought that Hisana thought she was clutching onto Yammy, not air. "Until, he fell over. I didn't know if he was dead or if he was just knocked out. I didn't care. I grabbed the kids and the katanas and we bolted."

Ichigo nodded and then looked up, shocked. "Wait. You took the zanpakutos?"

Sani shrugged. "If that's what you're calling them now adays, yeah. They are both back at your house."

"Good move," Ichigo said. "Show me where the guy hit his head and then we'll leave."

"Sure." Sani pointed to the wall.

Inspecting it, the carrot-top substitute swore. Sani smacked him upside the head in admonishment but said nothing. The brick wall was dented--a lot. He could see where it had been worn away from brute force. A thin layer of rubble lay on the dent. In it, Ichigo found a red hair. Damn it. It was definitely Yammy.

Standing, he said. "Come on, Sani. Let's get back to the house,"

"Do you know the man?" Sani questioned as she ran beside him.

"Yeah. His name's Yammy."

"How do you know him?"

"He works for a guy that has it in for me," Ichigo pumped his arms, increasing his pace. He really did not want to explain Aizen and everything else to Sani.

She was persistent. Damn. "Who is it, Ichigo? You're too young for anyone to have it in for you,"

"You wouldn't understand, even if tried to explain it to you."

Stopping, Sani grabbed his arm. "Try me,"

He tried to yank his arm away from her, but she held on strong. He was taller and stronger than she was, so Sani resorted to digging her nails into his wrist. Yelping in pain, Ichigo tried all the harder to free himself, only causing him more pain as her nails scraped deeply on his skin. "Okay! I'll tell you!" he submitted.

Cockily, she released her grip on his wrist. Trying to shake away the pain, he confessed all. "I'm a substitute shinigami. It is my job to send souls on to a place called Soul Society where they live for eternity. A year ago, a man named Aizen tried to destroy the Seiretei and he almost did. I was one of the ones who stopped him. Ever since, he's had it out for me, okay? The man you saw was named Yammy. He is an arrancar and he works for Aizen."

"Oh my god," Hisana whispered. "Are you doing drugs?"

Ichigo yelled loudly. "See! I told you you wouldn't understand!"

"Ichigo, you are expecting me to believe that shinigamis are real? And this Seiretei and the arrancars? Th…that's not possible!" she cried.

"I'm not lying to you, Sani! I believed you when you said that Yammy shot ceros out of his hands! I believed you when you said he had his hollow hole! I knew it was too much to ask you to believe me!"

He stormed past her. His head was bent and his hands were stuffed in his pants pockets. God, he felt like an idiot. He should have known, he should have know. "Ichigo!" Hisana called but he paid her no mind. He kept walking, cursing himself for telling her. Now, she thought he was insane. Great, if she told his dad, he would not let Ichigo out of his sight for months. Who knew what kind of damage Aizen could cause during that time.

"I told you to hold on," Sani hissed, grabbing his arm again.

Ichigo looked down at the ground and sighed. He really didn't want to discuss his alleged insanity right now.

"Look at me," she ordered. He did not. "LOOK AT ME!" she screamed.

He turned his head. Their eyes locked. Nothing was said for sometime. She naturally, broke the silence. "Look me in the eye and tell me that is the true," she ordered in a whisper.

Brown eyes met blue ones. "I'm not lying, Hisana. I really am a substitute soul reaper."

Hisana sighed as she dropped his arm. "Very well. I believe you,"

"Really?" he asked, taken aback.

"You never were a liar, Ichigo,"

Though he followed her compliantly, her reasoning did not seem very good to Ichigo.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Tsubokura Rin sat in front of the monitors, bored out of his mind. Absentmindedly, he sucked on a cherry-flavored sucker. The screens had been dead for weeks. After his defeat at Hueco Mundo, Aizen had been expectantly silent. Tsubokura reasoned that with a lost of half of his espada, it would take him much time to regroup. Captain Kurotsuchi reported that he was still in possession of the Hougyoku, and though much was still unknown about the artifact, the consensus was that it would take him months to create more arrancar.

Red lights flashed and sires blared, startling the small shinigami out of his seat. His sucker fell to the floor, but he did not notice. Grabbing his communicator, he yelled to Akon, "Espada! Two espada have appeared in Karakura Town!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five--

Urahara Kisuke sat up from his mat. The spiritual pressure in the air had shifted dramatically. Palming the floor, he grabbed his hat and Benihime. Standing up, walked out of his bedroom to find Tsubakishi, Jinta and Ururu waiting patiently for him.

"You guys felt it to, eh?" he asked for no reason.

"Espada," Tsubakishi confirmed.

Jinta swung his iron bat over his shoulder. "Well, whaddare we waitin' for?"

Ururu bobbed her head emphatically. "Hai!"

Shaking his head with a smile, Urahara looked up at his companions. "Then let us be off,"

The door to the shop slid open. Standing there, bathing in a silver moonlight that outlined her sinewy silhouette was Yoruichi. "Just where do you think you're going, Kisuke?" she asked striding forward, her hips swinging in their natural gait.

Kisuke grinned at her. "Like you don't want to come along,"

"You know me too well," she answered.

Jinta rolled his eyes. "That's the problem,"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Ichigo ran with all of his might. Sani was ahead of him, intent on getting back to the Kurosaki household. He had felt a change in the air around him, and it was unsettling. Hisana had seemed to feel it as well, and it disturbed her even more than it did him. Her speed doubled as she dashed like a madwoman to get back to the house. Bursting into it, she sighed in relief as everything looked normal. Ichigo stopped behind her.

"Everything is okay," she grinned up at him.

Not answering, he shoved past her to inspect the house for himself. They had not locked the door. While things did not look disturbed, he did not want to be careless, and he most certainly had had enough surprises for one lifetime. All was silent. The facet did not drip like it normally did--Sani was even more uptight than Yuzu. He could not even hear the twins sleeping upstairs. Peace reigned down on the world.

"You're right," he said turning to face the babysitter.

"I wouldn't go that far, shinigami," a deep, familiar, drawl called out.

Faster than lightening, Hisana shot into the living room, Ichigo on her heels. There stood two men, each one gripped one of the twins. A tall man with sky blue hair cockily grinned at him, the jawbone covering half of his chin glinting in the moonlight with a terrifying sparkle. He clutched a squirming Karin who was obviously outmatched. The petrified Yuzu was held captive by a thin, almost frail looking man with a skull-like helmet on his head. Green tear-tracks ran from his eyes and seemed confident yet withdrawn, as if the situation meant nothing to him.

"Grimmjow!" Ichigo snarled.

The blue haired man with a gaping hole in stomach laughed. "Ichigo," he taunted, "You ready to get your ass kicked again,"

"It'll be you that gets his ass kicked! Ichigo shot out. Grabbing an emblem from his pocket, he touched it to his chest. With a sonic boom, his body was blasted back a meter or so as his spirit leapt up into the air. Hisana shrieked in surprise.

"Tch, woman," Grimmjow muttered in disgust.

"Sani, run," Ichigo ordered.

"What? No!" she yelled indignantly. "I'm in charge here,"

"Not right now you aren't!" the boy yelled at her as he drew Zangetsu from his sheath. "Let her go, Grimmjow," he ordered the arrancar

"Make me," he taunted.

"Bakudo Number Nine!" Sani yelled as she gestured with her arms. After that, she looked down at her arms with a 'what-theh-hell?' expression.

"Aizen-sama was correct," Ulquiorra commented, "She is a reincarnated shinigami. Her memories have begun to return to her,"

Ichigo looked at Hisana accusingly who looked at Ulquiorra in disbelief. "You used to be a soul reaper?" he yelled.

"No!" she shook her head vigorously. "I wasn't! I don't even know what one is!"

"You know kido!" he accused.

"What the hell is that?" she screamed as Grimmjow shot a cero at them. She dodged it effortlessly, her body acting of it's own accord.

"Say something else," he commanded as he swung Zangetsu, releasing a wave of energy. He cursed as Grimmjow and Ulquiorra jumped above it. They were in trouble. If they attacked, there was a large chance that Karin and Yuzu could be hurt.

"Like what? And don't destroy the house!"

"Whatever comes to mind," Ichigo hissed, taking cover behind the couch.

"Hadou Number Four, Byakurai," she said looking at him like he was crazy.

Ichigo repeated her. A long bolt of lightening shot out of his forefinger. It nearly hit Grimmjow, who managed to duck at the last minute. It did, however, hit the oven, causing it to explode. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!" Sani yelled, hands clapped over her ears. The explosion destroyed the back of the house. The furniture was cut up, and destroyed. Sani's cover was destroyed, and a part of the chair cut her face.

"Do a bakudo, a bakudo!" he replied loudly.

"Bakudo…a…uhm?" she started to flail her hands.

Meanwhile, Grimmjow shot another cero at them. Ulquiorra had disappeared along with Yuzu. He was now frantic. "Sani!"

"I'm working on it!" she yelled. Seeing Ulquiorra going to the door, she jumped on his back. The fourth espada had not seen her coming, so he was taken by surprise. "Bakudo Number Four, Hainawa!"

He struck her face with the back of his hand. Sani reeled back, but did not loosen her grip on him in the slightest.

"Bakudo Number Four!" belted Ichigo. He aimed it at Ulquiorra instead of Grimmjow. It hit its mark. Sani, Ulquiorra and Yuzu dropped to the ground, bound glowing energy rope. Snarling in anger, Grimmjow shot a cero at Ichigo. The carrot-top shinigami had not time to block it. He flew out the window, screaming in pain.

"Ichigo!" Karin screamed.

He tried to sit up, but his chest hurt so much. "Uhh," he groaned.

Grimmjow stood over him, leering. "Pathetic, shinigami. You always were annoying." Yanking his zanpakuto, he twirled it once in his hand. Ichigo's eyes shot open as he gasped. Trying to save his life, he rolled over. Grimmjow kicked his side. "Tough break, kid, but you ain't gonna get away that easily." He dropped the sword. Ichigo screamed.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"That was unexpected," Urahara commented to his companions.

Standing before them were two espada and their fraccions. Halibel looked at them skeptically. They would not be hard for her to beat. Stark stood lackadaisically beside her, watching them. Without a word, he released Benihime, and roared as he leapt at Stark. Yoruichi jumped up into the air, whipping around and kicking Halibel. Behind them, he heard Jinta's battle cry. Seconds later, Ururu's bullets flew through the air. The battle had begun in earnest.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The katana was lodged in his forearm. Ichigo screamed in agony. Yuzu and Karin screamed. Hisana screamed. Grimmjow scowled at their weakness. A bluish white arrow stuck his arm. He dropped Karin with a loud swear.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue yelled loudly.

He had to finish the kid off. One more cero should do the trick.

"Santen Kesshun, I reject!" the woman yelled.

The cero rebounded off the shield and blasted Grimmjow meters into the air. He swore loudly. The fourth espada finally managed to free himself from the bakudo.

"Grimmjow," he called. "Get the girl and let's go,"

"No!" Hisana screamed. She started to struggle with her bonds anew. "Hadou Number Five, Kurohoshi!"

Ichigo tried to summon the kido, but could not. He gasped in pain and Grimmjow wrenched his zanpakuto out of his arm, and thrust it into his stomach.

"Ichigo!" Karin screamed.

Suddenly, Chad appeared with Matsumoto and Hitsugaya on his heels. He threw his fist at Grimmjow, who dodged and sliced at his arm, missing it by inches. Orihime rushed to Ichigo's side where she began to heal him. Hisana screamed, trying to save her wards, but she could not break free of the bindings. With a roar, Matsumoto released Haineko.

Toushiro dropped down by Hisana's side. "Where's my sword?" he demanded, "Where did you put Hyorinmaru?"

"It's broken," she whispered.

"Where is my zanpakuto?" he demanded again, not bothering to release her.

"Under the sink, next the man's."

"Good." He darted off. Yuzu was crying beside her. Sani tried to grab her hand and comfort the poor girl, but she could not move. How had the green eyed man freed himself? She tried with willpower to force them off, but had yet to be able to.

"Ichigo!" Hisana yelled. He did not answer her.

Histugaya grabbed his faithful Hyorinmaru and joined the foray. Ulquiorra was easily decimating their numbers. Ishida, Chad, Matsumoto and Histugaya were out powered. If the Seiretei would release their bindings, the captain and his lieutenant would have been much more useful. Grabbing Karin, the green-eyed arrancar summoned the rest of his companions.

"Grimmjow," he ordered.

With a final cero, Grimmjow destroyed the remnants of the Kurosaki's first floor, and followed Ulquiorra. Yuzu screamed as the ceiling collapsed on her and Sani. With the power of the mother panther, Hisana threw herself over Yuzu. Seconds later, they were covered in debris and rubble.

"YUZU!" Ichigo screamed.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Yoruichi wiped the sweat from her brow. Her chest rose up and down as she panted like cat. The female espada looked cockily down at her. She had yet to draw her zanpakuto and she still had the upper hand in this fight.

"What's the matter, shinigami? Tired already?" she taunted.

Yoruichi hissed back, the hair on her head raising like a cat. "What do you mean? I can go all day,"

"You got that right," Urahara agreed, swinging Benihime, parrying Stark who growled.

A wave of energy pulsed through the air. The two espada looked at each other. "Until next time," Halibel taunted before flash stepping away. Stark whistled to his fraccions--Halibel's had not come, just his--before following the sun-haired vixen.

With a gust of wind, the arrancar vanished, and they were alone in the silent world.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Shoving Inoue out of the way, he ran towards what remained of his house. He pulled up the rubble, calling his sister's name. He moved ceiling and brick, part of a light and a blade from a ceiling fan. "Yuzu!" he called. "Yuzu! Get Karin," Ichigo ordered. "I'll take it from here. Inoue!" he cried out.

"Matsumoto," Histugaya said to his lieutenant, "Let's go,"

"Santen Kusshen, I reject!" the girl said boldly.

As a gold shield formed around the house, the rubble started to shift. Time passed in slow motion as a groan shattered the silence around them. Slowly, Sani stood, Yuzu in her arms. She picked her way out of the wreckage. Her face was bloodied and debris filled her ratted hair. She looked furious. "Where'd they take Karin?" she demanded. "Tell me, now,"

"That way." Ichigo pointed.

"Take her to the hospital," she ordered. Ichigo looked down. Yuzu was unconscious and burns were all over her arms. "I'll go get Karin,"

"You can't take both of them on," he protested.

"I don't care," she snapped. "I'm getting her back,"

"You don't have to," Hitsugaya said, carrying Karin. Behind him stood Yoruichi, Tsusbakishi, Matsumoto, Kinta and Ururu. "We got her,"

Sani rushed forward and took the girl from his arms. "Oh, baby!"

"What's wrong with Yuzu?" Jinta asked. His scowl darkened and he took a step forward.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Sani said.

Urahara shook his head. "No, those are cero burns. She needs to be treated by Unohana-taicho,"

"Who?"

"Another shinigami," Ichigo explained.

"Oh," Sani said. "Uhh…okay. Where is she? I'll take all of them there."

Urahara grinned. "It's not quite that simple, Miss,"

"I see."

"Here, Sani-sama." Toushiro took the girl from her arms. "I can get her there faster,"

Hisana nodded. "Okay. Go ahead, shinigami. And, I'm sorry…your clothes were in the washer." Sani looked forlornly at the wreckage. "It didn't…they've been destroyed." Without a comment, he shunpoed away, gently cradling Karin in his pajama clad arms.

"It's all right. He has lots more in Soul Society." Matsumoto placed a comforting hand on Hisana's shoulder.

She looked at the older woman, desperate to make sense of anything that was happening. "You're not really his mother, are you?" she whispered.

Matsumoto smiled. "Nah. I'm too young to be, believe it or not."

"Oh. Sorry," she repeated.

"It's okay kid. Let's get you back to the Seiretei,"

"Wait, you're letting her go back? I thought that she couldn't. She's a human," Ichigo demanded to know.

"She is also in charge of three minors, Ichigo," Urahara preempted Matsumoto's answer. Now was not the time to tell the youth of Hisana's past. "She needs to be there, and treated for her injuries as well."

Matsumoto scooped Yuzu up out of Ichigo's arms. He made a noise of protest as the woman flashed stepped away with his unconscious sister. Hisana stood beside him, her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ichigo," she whispered. "I couldn't take care of you all better,"

He pulled out of her grasp. "You should have. I can see why you reincarnated. You must have been a shit ass shinigami."

Inoue looked between Ichigo and Hisana torn. She couldn't believe that Kurosaki-kun could be so cold to a woman who obviously loved him very much. Rationally, he was lashing at one someone who would forgive him, thusly helping him deal with his frustration and anger at not being able to protect his family. The redhead sighed. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, and it most certainly wasn't Kurosaki-kun.

"Kurosaki," Ishida's cold voice rang out, "Where is your body?"

All heads snapped to look at the burning wreckage behind them. Lights were beginning to flicker on. In minutes, the whole neighborhood would be out, standing around the flames, whispering about what happened, wondering where the Kurosakis were. Urahara commanded the remaining to spread out and search through the rubble. They worked swiftly and steadily for ninety seconds until Yoruichi and Hisana stumbled on the body. It was severely burned and swollen. The skin had peeled back in several places, revealing muscles, tendons and even bone in the case of his left hand. There was yellow skin, black skin, red skin, all of it charred and burned. Blood had obviously been there, but it had long since evaporated or scabbed over. Not even war-hardened Yoruichi could muffle her gasp of disgust when she saw him.

"Oh my god," Sani said, hand on her heart. The neighbor's front door opened.

"We've got to move out," Yoruichi said as she picked up her pupil's rotting body.

Keeping him steady over her shoulder, she started to shunpo away when the wind blew. It stoked the fire, making it rise high. Inoue shrieked in fear. The bright orange flames were burning hot, scorching even her skin. There was no way Yoruichi-sama should have survived. She gasped when she saw the cat woman being pulled out of the flames by Hisana-san. The master still protectively carried the student. With a nod to the remaining, she shunpoed them away. Taking her hand, Urahara did the same thing for Inoue; Tessai took Chad and Ishida. Looking back one last time, Orihime wondered if the Kurosaki's could ever return home.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six--

She had failed as a babysitter. How could she ever live with herself after everything that had happened? She looked at her hands, thinking that things could not get any worse. Tears dripped off her cheeks onto the floor as she silently sobbed. In the room were two beds: one for Yuzu who had yet to wake, and one for Karin who now slept peacefully. Ichigo's body had it's own room, where he lay, his body attached to all sorts of fluids and medicines. She closed her eyes, forcing out more tears at the thought of his body, burned beyond recognition. She flinched at the stomach-turning sight every time. She had let this happen to them. She would never forgive herself.

On the table beside Yuzu sat Hisana's cell phone. Kurosaki-sama had called as she had arrived at Urahara's candy shop. She had not been able to answer it. She was too ashamed and had not known what to say. His message had been cheerfully heartbreaking.

._"Hey, Sani-san! It's me. I was just calling to let you know that my flight go in _

_. safely! Everything in Tokyo is how I imagined it, including the snotty doctors_

_. who seem to think that our little clinic is nothing but a joke! Hmpf! I will show_

_. them! Anyway, take and watch over the kids for me. Give them my love. See you_

_.soon! Bye!"_

She had not told Ichigo yet that that his father had called. She did not want to upset him any more; he had yet to speak to her since the night of the espada's attack two days ago.

There was a gentle knock at the door. Captain Unohana stood with a comforting look on her face. "Reiko-san," she said, "how are you feeling?"

"Fine," she answered, "Just fine."

"That is good," the healer sounded pleased. "However, I think that you would feel much better if you got some rest as well."

Hisana shook her head. "Not until Yuzu wakes up,"

"The girls are progressing very well." Unohana attempted again after a moment. "I am overseeing them personally."

Hisana sighed. "Thank you," she declared sincerely.

"It is my job, Reiko-san. It is also my professional opinion that you need your sleep. Your eyes haven't closed once since you first began to babysit them three days ago."

"No!" Hisana said forcefully. "Not until Yuzu wakes up."

Unohana sighed. "She won't wake for some time yet. It would be best for you to bathe and get a few hours of sleep. It will make you feel better, and everything will not seem so hectic. I promise that after you have rested, the whole situation will seem much more calm and not as stressful."

She put her head in her hand as she stared at the matronly captain. "How can it possibly not be stressful? I have failed these children. I was supposed to take care of them. I won't leave them alone again,"

"They won't be alone," declared Ichigo. "I'll stay with them."

Hisana stood. She looked at Ichigo clad in his black shinigami uniform. Zangetsu looked threatening from it's sheath on Ichigo's back. "Hhhheeeeeeyyyy," she said with a long breath.

Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. "Hey."

They stared at each other in awkward silence, Unohana-taicho content to observe their interaction. Sani saw the indecision in his eyes, as well as a flicker of regret. "It took you long enough to come see your sisters," she snapped.

"I know," he answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "It's not like I was avoiding them! I just had to avoid certain people on the way over. You wouldn't be pleased if I walked in here with a broken arm," he said with a chuckle, attempting to make her smile.

Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Is someone threatening you?"

He groaned. "No, Sani!" he whined, "You wouldn't get it if I told you,"

"I don't understand a lot of things going on in your life all of a sudden," she shot back. "I get this!" She gestured wildly with her arms, all around the room. "I get them!" She pointed her finger at Unohana, who could help but feel a little bit insulted. Hisana didn't care. "I get that!" she cried, pointing at the two prone figures lying unconscious on the hospital beds, blissfully oblivious to chaos around them. "What I don't get, Ichigo, is you!"

"I told you what was going on!" he reminded her.

"No, you told me what you were doing! You never told me what was so important that you would abandon your family! You never told me and it better be one hell of a reason, Ichigo, otherwise, it wasn't worth it! Did you even stop to think about how your sisters would feel when you ran away this summer and then again so soon? Did you think about how your father would feel to know that his child was somewhere in the world, probably lost and confused, battling espada and arrancar or whatever the hell they are every day? What would they have done if you had died, Ichigo? You are a rock in that family, and I don't know how they would move on if you died! You need to think about consequences like that before you just go running off, because…what if you were gone when those men attacked? What would have happened?

"I'll tell you what would have happened! They would have taken Karin and Yuzu and I couldn't have done a damn thing to stop them! Your sisters would be locked up only God knows where and there would be nothing that we could do! What if the house burned down while you were gone? You wouldn't know what happened! You would have nowhere to go! So, stop being a selfish pig and thinking only about what you want to do! I don't care if you're going to go save the whole damn world, Ichigo! You've got to think how this will effect other people."

"It was Rukia," he interrupted. "And then Inoue. They were going to kill Rukia, and Aizen kidnapped Inoue. I had to save them,"

"You should have told someone," Hisana shot back.

"I did tell people," he defended his actions. "Just not people you know. And I did think of the consequences. I left my body with Urahara and Kon. Oh, shit!"

"What?" Hisana asked, wide eyed.

"Kon!" Ichigo smacked himself in the forehead. "We forgot about Kon!"

"Who is Kon?" Sani demanded.

"The mod soul that we put in a lion plushie," Ichigo explained. "He was in my room and now…he's dead."

Hisana held her hand. "Wait. A lion plushie? As in, Yuzu's Bostov? This one right here?" she asked as she gently lifted the burnt arm to reveal the plushie that Yuzu had clung to desperately during the siege.

"Yes!" Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise and joy. He grabbed the plushie from Hisana's fingers. "Kon!" he called out happily. The smile on his face fell when the stuffed lion did not appear to be alive any more. "Kon," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, kid," Hisana said, thinking the plushie had suffered too much damage in the fight.

"ICHIGO!" the little thing yelled suddenly, leaping alive. He jumped out of Ichigo's hands to hug his face.

"Gerroff me, Kon!" Ichigo tried to pry the toy off his face. "I can't see and you smell horrible!"

"That is the smell of a real man," Kon defended. He hopped off of the shinigami's face. Crossing his arms, he turned around with an indignant huff. Then he looked up at Hisana. "Rukia-chan!" he yelled out. Leaping into the air, he tried to plaster himself to her chest, but she quickly caught is face in her palm.

Hisana looked at the doll curiously. "How does it work?"

"It's a mod soul. A fake soul to put in gigai's while shinigami exorcise hollows. You-"

"Wouldn't understand. I get it," she said somewhat stiffly.

Ichigo looked at the toy that struggled to free his head from Hisana's grip. She did not even realize that she was suffocating him. Without thinking, he yanked Kon from her grasp. Sani glared at him but did not comment. Silence engulfed them again, along with the awkwardness that they both had hoped to avoid. Hisana looked around the room, hoping to find a topic of conversation. Her eyes came to rest of Unohana Retsu and she could have slapped herself; they had forgotten the captain's presence. She had observed their disfunctional relationship and probably would try to get her to act more mature around the kid. Great. Before she could apologize for their rudeness, Ichigo broke the silence.

"You look like hell," he told her.

Sani looked at him like he was idiot and then started to laugh. Ichigo cracked a grin and even chuckled a little bit. All was forgiven.

"Yeah," she agreed, "I know."

"She refused treatment," Unohana informed Ichigo who shook his head balefully.

"Yeah…heh, that doesn't surprise me. She always was an idiot."

"Hey!" Sani protested.

"Ignore her; she'll quiet down in a few minutes," Ichigo told the captain, much to his babysitter's chagrin.

She stood fuming. Her mouth opened a closed several times, making her look like a fish. Tists clecnhed, she shook her finger at him, but could say nothing. "See?" Ichigo gestured. "Quiet already."

"You!" she seethed

"Yeah?" he asked her.

"Ugh!" Hisana threw her hands up in the air exasperatedly.

"Excuse me, Unohana-taicho," a meek looking boy interrupted the tension filled room. "Reiko-san's room is ready."

"Good," she said.. "Reiko-san, if you will kindly follow Hanatarou, he will show you the quarters that have been set aside for you."

"Thank you, again, Taicho," Hisana said.

"It is no problem, I assure you. Now, go." she gently shoved Hisana out the door.

"This way, please." Hanatarou said with a bow.

"Where are you taking me?" Hisana asked. Se fell into step behind him.

"The Fourth Division is equipped with several rooms for times such as these," he explained. "Soul Society is very big, and though many shinigami can shunpo wherever the please, many find it easier to lodge here while their loved one is cared for. Your room is just around the corner. That way, you are very close to Kurosaki-kun's body and his sisters as well."

"Where is Ichigo staying?" she asked.

"The Eleventh Division barracks, I believe," Hanatarou said with a smile. "Here is you room, Reiko-san."

Hisana slid the door open. It was a decent sized room--much like her dorm room at the university. There was a kitchen space in the right corner. Beside it was a door which she supposed lead to the washroom. A two person futon lay beneath the window. On the wall behind it, there was an armoire.

"Unohana-taicho added the couch in case your family found need of it," Hanatarou informed her.

Hisana looked at the gray love seat. It was pushed up against the wall, shrinking the already crowded room. "Tell her that she is too kind."

"Hai. One more thing, Reiko-san," he stuttered out.

"Yes?" she asked, mildly interested.

"You have a visitor."

Hisana blinked, unsure how to respond. Hanatarou sounded like he was asking her permission. He looked at her with his hands folded in front of him, looking at her expectantly. "Oh, uhm…I guess you should sent them in, then."

"Hai, Reiko-san."

Leaving the room for a moment, he returned with Ichigo's friend. Hanatarou scurried out of the room, leaving the two of them. They stared at each other, unsure what to say. Hisana was amazed at how similar she was to the girl. It was like looking in the mirror five years ago. Rukia spoke first.

"Is your hair really purple?" She blurted out the first thing she had thought of. Instantly, she regretted it. The reincarnation of her sister laughed hysterically as Rukia's face turned bright pink.

"No, no." Hisana laughed. "I just dyed the top layer of my hair so that it's purple but if I needed to put it up for formal occasions, you wouldn't see the purple. See?" She bent down, showing Rukia the black roots. "I need to get it touched up, again. If only it didn't cost so much!"

Rukia nodded her head, pretending to agree, but not understanding Hisana's predicament. When she had browsed the convenient stores in Karakura Town, the hair dye on the shelves had been moderately priced. Looking at the mound of dark purple hair stained with rave black tendrils piled on top of Hisana's head, she wondered how much it would cost to tint her own hair.

"I'm sorry if I offended you," Sani told her. "I didn't realize-"

Rukia stopped her. "It's okay. Really. YOu didn't know, and I overreacted. No harm done."

Hisana smiled at her, relieved. "Thanks. Would you like something to eat?" she offered.

"If it is not too much trouble," Rukia replied.

"It's not." Hisana reassured her, "Just let me make sure that I have enough food."

Rukia laughed politely.

As Hisana opened various cabinet doors, she asked Rukia. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

Rukia flushed. She stuttered out, "Ichigo has spoken higlhy of you, and I was curious to meet you."

"How sweet. Do you like rice?"

"Doesn't everyone?"

"You wouldn't believe me, but when he was a kid, Ichigo was terrified of rice," she answered.

Rukia looked at her in disbelief. "Really?" She did not try to hide the skepticism in her voice. "That doesn't seem like Ichigo."

Hisana sighed. "Yeah, I know. His father told him that rice was what ghosts ate, and that's why he saw ghosts. Ichigo was terrified of them; he thought that they were evil, and that they were going to eat him because he at the rice. He didn't touch the stuff for months,"

"I would think that Mr. Kurosaki would know better," Rukia mused.

"He was trying to get Ichigo to accept what I guess I can now call his inner shinigami. Ichigo did not actually start seeing ghosts for what they were until after his mother's death. He started to understand them as humans and not monsters.:

"How do you know all of this?" Rukia inquired. She had known Ichigo for months, and the bond they shared was deep. Still, he rarely shared any of his past with her.

Placing a mug of steaming tea in front of Rukia, Hisana sat opposite of her. She gingerly took a sip from her mug before speaking. "I have been with the Kurosaki family for a long time. I am almost twenty-one, but I first met Kurosaki Isshin when I was seven years old. I became the babysitter at ten. Ichigo was raised to see me as a sister, almost. Naturally, he was able to confide in me."

"Why have we never met before?" Rukia pressed, trying to keep the frantic edge off of her words. "I have been at his house many times?"

"Until last summer I was studying at the university to become a teacher. After I graduated, I moved back but I have my own place."

"I see. Do you like living on your own?" Rukia sipped her tea. "Do you have any sugar?"

"Here you go, hon," Hisana gave her the sugar bowl and a spoon. "It's all right. I'm not on my own, exactly. I have a roommate."

"What's her name?" Rukia inquired politely.

"His name is Okaye. He's a good friend, but nothing more," she added, seeing Rukia's abashed look.

"Is he cute?" Rukia pressed.

"Yes!" Hisana laughed. "Do you want me to set you up?"

Rukia shrugged. "Maybe. Despite its large size, Soul Society is lacking on suitable male companionship."

"Bummer," Hisana blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I was hoping to do some major flirting while I was here!"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Report!" the General commanded to the two soul reapers who had been present at the Kurosaki home. Histugaya and Matsumoto stood at attention. Beside them was Yoruichi, who cocked her hips and wandered where her pupil was.

"Hai, Soutaicho!" Hitsugaya responded immediately.

Byakuya should have paid attention to what the short captain was reporting. All he could think of was Hisana's face when she had stepped back into the Seireitei.

_Byakuya stifled a gasp. When he saw her face up close, his heart sped ever faster. Both of her eyes were swollen with sorrow; the left one was additionally burdened from a nicely progressing shiner. Trellises of vermillion traced their way down her lips onto her chin where blood had coagulated. She looked around with wide eyes, like a doe, lost and confused. She saw Kurosaki Ichigo's body be carried in by Yoruichi, and collapsed out of shock. She tried to hurry to her feet to follow him, but she couldn't seem to stay up. Kyoraku grabbed her arm and held her steady on her feet. She gave him a grateful smile. Byakuya saw the gashes on her shoulders and magenta colored bruises. He felt physical pain just seeing her look like that. _

He had not seen her since, and he was scared to. He had not been so terrified in his life. He did not want to see that kind of pain in her eyes again, that desperation that would drive her to do anything. Hisana was strong, and rash. If she felt that the Kurosakis were threatened again, there was no telling what she would do to protect them.

"Our monitors detected only two espada. No more, no less," the general interrupted Hitsugaya.

"There were two espada at the Kurosaki residence, sir!" Hitsugaya confirmed.

"And there were two more along with their fraccions that Kisuke and I fought," Yoruichi added.

"Impossible!" Yamamoto declared fervently.

"No, sir, it was not!" Yoruichi shot back.

"If I may, General," interrupted Hitsugaya. "Did the sensors detect Yammy and Ulquiorra on the day that the other attack occurred? Because they were most certainly there."

"No, they did not," Kurotsuchi snapped. "I oversaw the production of the monitors myself. There is no way taht they could have missed any arrancar in the real world, espada or not."

"Well they did!" Yoruichi yelled. "And now, it isn't only us that it paying the price! This time, there were innocent people invovled!"

"What? You mean Kuchiki's chit?" the painted man scoffed. "I've heard rumors of that slut. She knew what was coming the moment she brought the kid into the house."

With even showing the slightest bit of anger, Byakuya swiftly up the crossed the space between him and Kurotsuchi. He did not even break stride as he grabbed Kurotsuchi's collar. Lifting him easily, Byakuya slammed him against the wall as inquisitive members of the Gotei 13 scurried to get away from his wrath. It amazed them all that the stoic could go from platonic to vengeful in less that a tenth of a second.

"Get out!" he barked to the lieutenants in the room. Fearful of the man's sudden vengeance, they complied all to easily.

As soon as the scurry of large feet had faded, Byakuya met Mayuri's cold black eyes. His voice was so low that everyone had trouble distinguishing his words. Kurotsuchis, however, seemed to get the menacing point easily. "If you ever say anything about my wife again, I will personally rip your intestines out of your stomach and strangle you with them, and the last thing you will see is me destroying everything you hold dear, your daughter included. Do you understand me?"

The painted man nodded his head, quaking under the other captain's wrath. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Captain Kuchiki was serious with his threat. Byakuya shoved him hard one more time, before releasing him. Kurotsuchi looked to the soutaicho for a reprimand, but none ever came. He brushed the wrinkles out of his captain's robe, and looked at his colleagues, disdain easily hiding his embarrassment.

"Tell me, Shihoin, how many espada did you see with your own eyes? You seem to be the only one here," the General said almost accusingly.

"Urahara Kisuke and I along with his subordinates fought the first and third espada, as well as their fraccions. We were obviously overpowered, even without our powers being sealed, but I don't think that they were there to kill us. They could have done that quickly, if that were the case. No, they were toying with us, going as far as to taunt and provoke us. Whenever we attacked, they did not retaliate; they just dodged. It was a game of cat and mouse, and they had the upper hand. Before they could finish us off, there was a strong wave of spiritual energy that pulsed through the sky. In a second, they were gone. They were nothing more than a distraction to keep us from getting to Ichigo's house, and when we finally got there, it was in ruins."

"It's true, sir." Hitsugaya confirmed. "I could their spiritual pressure, and it was Ulquiorra who sent the wave out, telling them to retreat."

"Then what do we do? If Aizen has found a way to shield them from our detectors, we won't know until it is too late if there is an attack in the world of the living. That has the potential for disaster, soutaicho." Komomura voiced.

"Patrols will have to increase all around the world, and we must be vigilant. Aizen revealed this to us for a reason, and I want to know what it is. If what Captain Hitsugaya reported is true, then Aizen has gained enough control over the Hougyoku to manipulate the arrancars' reiatsu so that we can no longer detect them, I fear that he is planning a large scale assault. Captain Soi Fong, you and your squad will find out what Aizen is up to. Captain Komomura, Acting Captain Hisagi, you will organize the patrols in the living world. I wan people there all the time, enough so that at least are four shinigami on watch at all times. They can have shifts, if you want them to.

"Captains Hitsugaya and Zaraki, you all are in charge of watching the borders of the Seireitei. Let no one in or out. We are now officially on lock down. Only shinigami with verbal and written approval from his captain may pass, am I clear? Also, Zaraki-taicho, you will need to assign a select few shinigami from your division to protect Miss Reiko and the Kurosaki family. There have been two attacks against in the in one day, and I do not think that Aizen was just amusing himself with their attempted destruction. They will play a larger part in this before it's finished.

"Shunshui, Ukitake, you all are responsible for the people of the Rukongai. They are vulnerable and easy pray for the likes of Aizen. Watch them likes hawks. Kuchiki-taicho, you will assist the Zero Division in watching the nobles. You are already acclimated to their culture and lifestyle, so I suspect that you will be the key factor in keeping many of them loyal to the king and the Seireitei. Captain Unohana, please prepare your division for war. The time is upon us, and the battle will begin in earnest."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven--

"Is he trying to keep me away from my sister?" Rukia cried when she heard the news. "Is he trying to keep her out of our lives, brother? That isn't fair!"

"Rukia!" Byakuya grabbed ahold of her shoulders. "We are to do what was asked of us. We are to follow our orders, and nothing more, do you understand me?" He watched her face intently. A myriad of expressions crossed her face. Confusion, anger, suspicion, fear, distrust, defiance. He took the final step, cutting off all contact with the devil woman. "I forbid you to see her."

Her eyes widened. Tears clouded over her vision, and she drew back from his grasp. "Brother," she whispered.

"I mean it, Rukia. It's an order as the head of our family," he seethed out through clenched teeth.

"She's family, too!" Rukia cried.

"Not any more," Byakuya stated firmly.

"I hate you!" Rukia screamed. "I wish you would roll over and die, Nee-sama!" Turning on her heal, she ran from the room. She ran down the hallway, tears flying out of her eyes, falling down to the carpeted floors. She slammed the door to her room and fell on her bed, sobbing into her silken pillows. It all was suddenly frivolous and useless. She had no need for any of it; it had no value, no memories. It was things for the nobles, and the rich, and it had no place in her life. She was from the Rukongai, dammit, and she was trash in their eyes. Just like her sister, had been.

Rukia sat up with wonder. It hit her like a ton of bricks. No matter how kind, how beautiful, how refined and educated her sister had become, she was still Rukongai trash, unfit for the Soul Courtiers to walk on. She was nothing, and that was why her brother wanted nothing to do with her. He saw in the saw way as the rest of the uppity nobles, and now that she was back, he wanted nothing to do with her. He probably was overjoyed when she had died the first time! That was why he was so distant with Rukia; he viewed her as baggage, as the same trash that her sister was. He had been reluctant to take Rukia in, after Hisana's death. The only reason he must've honored her dying wish was because of the other people present at her death. She knew that others had been there, because it was the way of the nobility. It was a like a party for them: they loved watch people enter the world, and they loved to watch people leave it.

Well, she didn't have to live with it any longer. Sure, they had adopted her, but she could always leave them. It wasn't like blood connected her to them, or anything. The only thing that bound the was a lowlife's dying wish, and that sure as hell didn't hold much weight with the rest of the world. Grabbing a bag, Rukia furiously stuffed clothes into it. Not expensive kimonos made of silk and satin, but practical clothes. A few of her shinigami uniforms and the dresses that she had purchased in the living world. She planned to return there; Captain Ukitake would send her back eventually. Lastly, she took her pillow and blanket that she treasured so much. It was the first beautiful thing that she had ever got, and it was surprisingly from Renji. Not her so called brother.

Scrawling a quick note, Rukia left it on her--no, the bed. She never wanted to see the room again. Picking up Sode no Shirayuki, she climbed out the window and flash stepped away, stopping in front of the Fourth Division. Shoulders squared, she walked in like she knew what she was doing. People sent her strange looks, but moved out of her way. With her chin held high, and the defiant blaze in her eyes, she was every bit a Kuchiki. Not any more, she thought with a self-satisfied smirk. From now on, if Reiko-san would have it, Rukia would bear her name and share her lifestyle. She had lost her sister once, she'd be damned if she did it again.

Knocking on the door, she heard a familiar voice call, "Come in,"

Steadying her breath, Rukia slid the door open. Hisana stood in standard hospital clothes, smiling at Rukia. Her hair was sopping wet and she had obviously just gotten out of the shower. "Reiko-sama." Rukia dropped her belongings and fell to the floor, bowing on her knees.

"What are you doing?" Hisana rushed over to her and picked her up. "Dropping to the floor like that! It's bad for you knees!"

Rukia wondered if the woman was always so motherly. "Hai, Reiko-sama."

"What is it with this Reiko-sama business? Yesterday, it was Sani-san," Hisana reminded.

"I come to ask a favor," she began. "I ran away from my home, and I need a place to say."

"Rukia, why did you run away? I'm sure that your family loves you," Hisana stated.

"No." Rukia shook her head forcefully. "I was adopted by my brother after his wife--my blood sister--died. However, this was done only from duty, nothing more. I can promise you that my brother does not care for me."

"You know that you are more than welcome to stay with me," Sani said, "But I do think that you should try to patch things up with your brother. This is all just a misunderstanding."

"It's not, but I will try," Rukia lied.

"Good," Hisana smiled. "I guess that Unohana-taicho was right. We did need the extra couch."

Rukia nodded her head. "Thank you, Sani-san,"

"It's no problem, Rukia."

"Is there anything that I can do for you to help out?" she asked.

"Now that you mentioned it," Hisana looked at Rukia's eager face, "You could leave off the honorifics. They're just annoying."

Rukia looked at her sister reincarnated. "That's not what I meant,"

Hisana laughed gaily. "I know,"

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Madarame Ikkaku walked down the street, his sword lazily resting on his shoulder. He scowled around the city, bored out of his mind already. Beside him was Yumichika, looking as lovely as ever. The two had been assigned by Zaraki-taicho to guard and protect the Kurosaki family and their babysitter. Why, he didn't know. Ichigo was a tough kid, he should be able to protect his sisters and the woman no problem. But, the General had ordered it, and though Captain Zaraki was not the most loyal man, they had nothing better to do.

"This'd better be entertainin', Yumichika," Ikkaku glanced at the man beside him.

"I hate children," Yumichika wrinkled his nose is disgust. "They are dirty, vile, little crumb crunchers. With their snotty noses and ratted hair, they are walking trash heaps."

"They ain't so bad," Ikkaku said with a shrug.

Yumichika scoffed. He expect something so foolish from his cue-ball headed friend. Ikkaku, though a nice guy, was an idiot when it came to beauty and cleanliness. Sometimes, he wondered how they could be so close. The differences between them were astounding, obvious by their rooms. Yumichika's was pristine, perfect, and full of beautiful fabrics and furniture. It was impossible to even see what Ikkaku used to decor his room. There were piles of clothes and paperwork that still needed to be finished, shielding the standard issued crap assed shit that all recruits were given. The bald man had no taste, no refinement, no elegance, no class. It was a shame, he thought, hanging his head with a sigh.

For his part, Ikkaku didn't care what his fruity friend was thinking. Yumichika had had a stick up his ass for a little while now, and he didn't have a clue as to why. Shooting a glare at the pathetic fourth division member who tried to block them from entering the hospital, he grinned when the pathetic excuse of a man just about wet his pants. Confidently, cockily, threatening, they pranced down the hallway, languishing in the fact that, for once, they were not there to be babied while their wounds were attended to.

"Ahh, Madarame-san, Ayasewaga-san, to what do I owe the pleasure? Neither of you look injured, today," Unohana-taicho said, stepping in front of them. She purposely impeded their progress with a smile on her face. She did not need them to beat up one of her patients while they were still nursing injuries.

"We're looking for the Kurosaki family, Captain," Yumichika said, with a graceful and respectful nod to the woman. "We were charged by Captain Zaraki to protect them,"

"I see," Unohana said with a tight lipped smile. "This was please. Kurosaki-san is not here, currently. But, Reiko-san and Kuchiki-san are with his sisters,"

"Where's Ichigo?" Ikkaku asked.

"He is showering and resting. They are taking twelve hour shifts with the girls, waiting for them to wake up," explained the medic.

"Che," Ikkaku grunted.

Yumichika rolled his eyes. He couldn't expect the man to understand such things. "What room?"

"I'll show you," Unohana said to them. She lead them down the hall and to the right. Yumichika recognized it as the dorm wing. "This is Reiko-san's room." Unohana indicated to the door on their left. "This is were Kurosaki Ichigo is, I believe. As I said, earlier, Reiko-san is with the twins. This way."

She took the infirmary ward, which was just a hallway over. Reiko-san must have found favor with the captain to have a room so near her wards. Rapping softly on the door, Unohana politely waited for acknowledgment before entering the room. "Good afternoon, Reiko-san,"

A young woman looked up. Yumichika felt his mouth fall open as he looked at her. She was ethereally beautiful. She had long, waist-length black hair that fell down to her hourglass waist, curling in at the ends. She had dark blue-violet eyes that were rimmed with short, bristly lashes, making her look like a does in a field, gentle and quiet, watchful and skittish. "Hello, Captain Unohana," she said.

"Reiko-san, this is Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasewaga Yumichika from the Eleventh Division. They have been assigned to protect you during your time in the Soul Society."

Hisana shared a glance with Rukia. "I don't understand," she said. "I thought that we were safe, here."

"Hai, you are safe here," Unohana-taicho quickly reassured her. "But, General Yamamoto that it best if you had someone trained with you at all times, dissuading Aizen Sosuke and his followers from attempting to attack you again."

"You mean Ichigo is still in danger?" Hisana asked, eyes wide in fear.

Rukia put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Yes."

"You'll protect him, right?" she asked the two men.

"Ichigo don't need me to protect 'im; he's good enough on his own. We're fer yah and the girls." Ikkaku pointed to the two prone figures with his zanpakuto. "Yer the ones who need lookin' after,"

"Tell General Yamamoto thank you, but we don't need anyone to look after us right we. We're fine, thanks," she said clippishly.

Ikkaku raised an eyebrow. "You sayin' you don't need us?"

"Don't need it, don't want it," Hisana sniffed.

"That's awful rich of yeh," he said.

"Not really. I can look our for Yuzu and Karin,"

"Like you did three days ago?"

She was on her feet in an instant. "How dare you!" she snarled. "That is none of your damn business. And I'll have you know-"

"Yeah, I heard from Rangiku that you beat the shit outta some lowlife espada, but you couldn't handle 'em when they got tough. You put in a good fight, but end the end, yah needed help. That's what we're here for," Ikkaku said before Yumichika could intervene with something more diplomatic. "So sit down, shut the hell up and let us do our job,"

Hisana looked the up and down. "I'll tell you what," she said, cracking her knuckles, "I'll let you fight off all the espada and arrancar that you want. But when Aizen shows his wussy face, I get the first shot at him,"

Ikkaku looked at the woman in front of him. "Sounds fair to me,"

"Ikkaku," Yumichika pulled the bald man out of earshot, "Do you have any idea what your doing?" he hissed.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Lyin'. Now, come on."

Meanwhile, Karin had come to, watching the adults bicker like children. She chuckled at the irony. As the freaky looking guy pulled the bald man over to the side, she said to Sani, "Ichi-nii won't like that, you know. He wants to be the one to get the last shot at Aizen."

"I imagine a lot of people feel that way, kid," Sani winked at her with a grin. "How you feelin'?"

Karin shrugged. "I've been better. I'm really sleepy." She rubbed her eyes for effect.

Sani laughed. "I don't see why. Except for those few hours where yesterday, you've been asleep this whole week. I've been bored stiff."

"Well, you know what they say: the more you sleep, the more tired you get." Karin popped her neck, much to Yumichika's disgust. "And I woke up last night. I talked to Ichi-nii some,"

"We're taking twelve hour shifts with you all," Hisana informed her. "What did you all talk about?"

"He says he's sorry. For what he said, you know, that night," she said.

Hisana patted Karin's hand. "I know, Chan. I'm not mad. We were all angry and scared, that night."

"Has Yuzu woken up yet?" Karin looked at her twin, sitting on the opposite side of Sani. She would never admit it out loud, but she would be lost without her. Karin loved her sister with a fiery passion, she just had a hard time showing it. Yuzu knew that, and that had made their relationship that much easier.

"No, Chan. She hasn't," Sani glanced at the girl and then at Rukia. "But she will, I'm confident. Here, how about I tell you a story from when you and Yuzu were little to pass the time until she wakes up? Unohana-san said that it should be any day now."

Ikkaku pulled out a chair and sat down. "Che, I bet they were the most borin' kids ever,"

"How'd you know?" Rukia shot back, ready to step into the roll of the protective sister.

The bald man shrugged. "By lookin' at 'em. I mean, c'mon. They're pretty scrawny and boring lookin'. Their childhood couln't've been that exciting."

"They are still in their childhood, baka." Rukia snorted.

Ikkaku glared at her. She was a damn Kuchiki through and through. That begged the question: what the hell was a Kuchiki doing down with the ryuoka Kurosakis? Sure, Ichigo was her friend, but Kuchiki-taicho didn't seem like the type to let his precious sister wander the Seireitei getting into all kinds of mischief. Looking suspiciously at her, Ikkaku was struck by how similar Rukia was to Hisana-san. It was downright spooky. They had the same hair-color and texture, minus the dye that Hisana had on the first layer of her hair. _Was she so poor that she only got the top done_, he wondered. Even her eyes were damn near close to Rukia's. If it weren't for the traces of icy blue, her eyes would be the same dark lavender of the adopted Kuchiki's. It was scary.

Yumichika stood next to the door, his hand the hilt of Ruri'oro Kujaku, dark violet eyes scanning the room for potential threats. Ikkaku, however, lounged on a chair, with his feet on the arm of Hisana's chair. They chatted quite amiably about different styles of fighting, and Yumichika smiled every time she smacked him, which was quite a lot. That made Yumichika happy, for some unknown reason. Ikkaku noticed his friend's odd behavior, and though he was curious, he wasn't going to actively invade Yumichika's privacy. No, there was a much simpler way to do things. He'd just ask Rangiku. She always knew, and if she didn't, she'd get back to you lickedy split.

Yuzu's head rolled to the side. She groaned. Everyone stepped forward out of instinct. Yumichika abandoned his post by the door to stand by the foot of the bed. No one breathed so as to not jinx the hope that smothered them. Even Ikkaku felt himself pulling for the girl who would always have the traces of the scars from the damned monster's cero. Hisana gripped Rukia's hand, and wrapped her arm around Karin, who had scrambled out of bed at her twin's noise. Two hands wrapped around Hisana's shoulders and Karin's. Ichigo leaned on them. There were bags under his eyes, making him look half-dead.

"She's waking up?" he whispered in a throaty voice.

"Yeah," Sani nodded. "We're thinkin' she is,"

"Good. She's been asleep too long." Ichigo leaned on them for support. Though he had only been with Yuzu and Karin for twelve hours, he had not slept much since he stepped foot back into the Soul Society. He had been too worried about his sisters and conflicted about Sani to do that. Only to add to the burden, being in a hospital was physically and mentally draining. Just sitting with them had been harder and more tiring than his constant training with Yoruichi or his battles to save Inoue and Rukia.

"Uhh…" Yuzu moaned. Her eyes fluttered open, looking at them all with curiosity. Half of them, she didn't even recognize. How long had she been out? "Ichi-nii?"

"Yuzu!" Ichigo rushed past the others and pulled Yuzu into a tight embrace. Tears trickled down his face as he clutched his baby sister tightly to his chest. Not even Ikkaku could call him weak from the sentiment. Karin jumped onto the bed and shared the embrace with her family. They all were crying, trying to reassure themselves that something in their world was right: they were together, strong and a family.

Yuzu pulled her head away from Ichigo's chest. "Sani?" she asked.

Hisana sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "I'm right here, baby."

Yuzu smiled at her, tears streaming still down her little face. Hisana felt her own eyes water up and she laughed as they fell down of their own accord. Ichigo hugged her tightly as well, as she kissed Yuzu's head.

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Hisagi Shuhei observed the destruction around him. It struck him of how unfair life could be. Two birds had flown into the plane's engine. They malfunctioned and there was nothing that the pilot could do. He had kept the passenger's calm during the descent. It was nothing like the movies made it out to be. It was not a direct nose-dive, but a tailspin. They had been thrown to and fro in their final moments. Their screams would haunt his memories forever. He surveyed the burning wreckage with despair. How did humans recover from such tragedy when they did not know the eternal fate of their loved ones?

Most of them had died on impact. The few that did not were either horrifically burned and maimed for life, or thrown from the plane with such a force that it would be a miracle if they suffered minimal brain damage. Hisagi wished that there was something--anything--he could do for the poor souls, both dead and alive. Unfortunately, he could only help the dead, and though he assured them that peace was imminent, they still feared him. They would beg on bended knee, asking that he spare them. If only they knew, and then they would realize that he was being merciful, he was sparing them. But the couldn't understand, they wouldn't understand, and they never would. It was truly the definition of heartbreaking.

He looked up as the sky darkened. The hollows were coming. Whenever a tragedy like this struck, they swarmed like vultures, preying on the addled and confused. Souls were prime for the picking just after death, and with incidences such as these, they were even more so. He took a deep breath and prepared for battle. His subordinates and Komomaru followed suit. They would be up to their knees in carnage before the hour was over. Unexpectedly, there was the sound of another zanpakuto being drawn.

Hisagi looked to the noise. His eyes widened in surprise. "Kurosaki-taicho!" He gasped. His old captain, whom he had not lain eyes on in sixty years, standing before him, as tall and proud as ever. "What's going on? What are you doing here?"

Isshin grinned at his once upon a time fourth seat. "I'm doing a duty that I put aside for a while."

"Are you going to take the General's offer to return to the Soul Society?" Hisagi asked, hopeful. He had enjoyed serving under the man.

"No." Isshin answered with a definitive tone in his voice. "I will not abandon my family."

"I see," Hisagi said reluctantly.

"I will, however, enjoy fighting along side you again, Shuhei," Isshin said with a smile.

"The same to you, Taicho."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight--

Hisagi walked down the hallway as slowly as possible. He did not want to get to his destination. Even his walk of shame filled with desolation and self-hate was preferred to delivering the news that was his duty to give. It was his fault after all. He wondered how humans survived when they lost a loved one and did not know the fate of that person. Now he would find out. He wished that he had never thought to ask.

"Unohana-taicho?" he asked.

The woman mutely nodded and pointed. So all of the Gotei captains knew. Hisagi wished that someone would run him through then and there, that way, he would not have to walk those last twenty metes separating him and the Kurosakis. He had always known that life wasn't fair, but this was something else entirely. These kids just didn't seem to ever catch a break. Choking back a sob, he knocked as softly as possible on the door, stalling. The longer that they did not hear him, the more he could put off confessing his sins.

The door slid open to reveal Ayasewaga Yumichika. He raised a perfectly shaped brow. "May I help you?"

"I need to speak with Reiko-san, and Kurosaki-san," he said.

"Ichigo's asleep. So are his sisters. What do you want with Sani-san?" Yumichika asked, suspiciously.

"I need to speak with her. Now." Hisagi's voice broke no argument. He was enacting his authority as Acting Captain, and dammit, when he said something, he meant it.

"Hai. One moment, please." Yumichika shut the door before Hisagi could say anything.

A moment later, the door slid open and a very familiar figure stepped out. She smiled welcomingly at him and titled her head to the side. She had to look up; her reincarnation had not changed her demure height. "May I help you,"

Hisagi felt tiny amount of resolve that he had slip away as he stared at her. _Reiko-fukutaicho_. "Yes," he said in a whisper. "My name is Hisagi Shuhei."

"Have we met before?" she interrupted. "You look very familiar."

"Not in this lifetime, Reiko-san," he admitted regretfully.

Her eyebrows knotted together, as she tried to comprehend his state. "Oh," she looked up at him. "I'd forgotten what that man--Ulquiorra, I believe said. I'm a reincarnated soul reaper,"

"H-hai," Hisagi whimpered out. She knew. And her memories were slowly starting to return. He hadn't even known that that was possible. He would have to inform the general. "I'm afraid, Reiko-san, that I come here with bad news."

"Oh no," she said. "What is it? Aizen?" She was fearful for the children. She had every right to be.

"No," he said, and cringed when he saw the relief wash over her eyes. "It is about Kurosaki-Isshin."

"What's wrong with Mr. Kurosaki?" Hisana pressed him. "He's not supposed to return until tomorrow."

"He was able to get an earlier flight," Hisagi admitted.

"Is he wondering why his house is in shambles?" she asked with mirth. "I've got a perfectly good explanation for that. It's funny," she confided in him, and he was content to let her have her moment of peace, "I've babysat these kids more times than I can count, but we've never had anything at all happen. Then this." She gestured around, "It's too unbelievable. He'll probably have me committed when I try to explain."

"He's not at his home," Hisagi admitted. He was starting to shake. Damn, he didn't want to say this!

"Then what's going on?" she asked, as the fear crept back into her voice.

"Birds flew into the engines on his plane, resulting in a crash. Though his soul did not die on impact, it was consumed by a hollow before I had time to stop it. I'm so sorry." Blunt was the best way to go. Being verbose, while delaying the inevitable, could only serve to confuse and prolong the suffering. When she had been his lieutenant, he had respected Reiko-san intensely. He would not cause her direct pain if possible. 4s

She took a step back. Shaking her head, he could hear the tears in her voice. "What are you saying?"

"He's dead. I'm sorry." And boy oh boy was he ever. That man was like a father to him. He'd been one to Hisana, too, but couldn't remember.

"No!" she cried, shaking her head. Tears flew around her head as they fell from her eyes. "NO!"

The door flew open. Yumichika and Ikkaku appeared, their zanpakutos drawn. They looked positively murderous. Hisana clung to herself, physically trying to hold herself together. Her back hit the wall and she slowly slid down to the floor. Her body hurt, the emotional pain was so intense. "No!" she kept screaming over and over and over again.

Hisagi felt tears well up in his own eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Sani!" Ichigo cried as he came barreling down the hall. He had heard her distress and came to investigate. She needed him. "What's wrong?" he asked, kneeling before her.

She looked at him and began to bawl. She clung to him for dear life, sobbing his name over and over again. Her voice was scratchy and pain-filled. All he could do was hold her and wonder as she clung to him, her tears staining his shinigami uniform.

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The world had ceased to exist. They were all numb. To them, it was all empty, vain, pointless: a gaping expanse of nothingness. They looked at each other, but they felt nothing. They saw nothing, no one, and they were lost, helpless. Hisana sat, perched on Yuzu's bed, holding the twins to her chest. Ichigo lie on Karin's bed, staring at the ceiling. Hisana had told them several hours ago the news about their father, and after the initial tears, the shock had set in.

"Do you all want lunch?" she asked in a deadpanned tone.

Yuzu shook her head. Karin did nothing. Ichigo wiggled a finger. "I'm not hungry," he whispered.

Hisana nodded. "Hai,"

"Well, I guess this is useless, then," Rukia said from the doorway. She stood with a tray in her hands, baring four bowls of egg soup.

Hisana sighed. "You are an angel, Rukia. I don't think I have the strength to cook right now,"

"I'm starving," Karin declared. She scrambled out of Hisana's embrace, and to Rukia. Yuzu didn't stir. Hisana looked down at the girl, who was sound asleep on her. Poor Yuzu. Today had been too much for the girl.

"Thanks, Rukia," said Ichigo as he took a bowl of the steaming soup. "Why'd you make us this?"

Rukia flushed. Hisana intervened as she slurped from her spoon. "She ran away from her home and she's moving in with us. This is really good, hon."

"What?" Ichigo sputtered out. He looked between the two girls. "Are you kidding me?"

"No," Hisana looked at him. "Why we would be joking? I'm perfectly serious,"

"What the hell? You can't just do something like that?"

"Yeah, I can." Hisana said. "I'm in charge,"

"Our house just burned down!"

"My house didn't!" Hisana snapped. "And, when this happened, you weren't going to be living with me!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo snapped.

"That I didn't plan on your dad dying!"

That shut them both up. Hisana closed her eyes. She knew that that was the wrong thing to say, but she couldn't take it back. Too stubborn to apologize, she wiggled out of Yuzu's grasp and slid the door open. Pulling her hair down, she stormed down the hallway. Rather than go into her room--she was sick and tired of that place--she marched out of the hospital. People moved out of her way; she was so familiar to them now and so kind to them that they thought nothing of her leaving the oppressive confines of the medical wing for a few minutes. She had not seen any of the Seireitei or the world around it. The mature, adult side of her conscious told her to go back to her kids and apologize, hold them and love them. The rebellious, childish side of her screamed to forget them. Hell, she wasn't even twenty-one yet, there was no damn way that she was ready to raise three kids. What was the universe doing to her?

Surprisingly angry and pissed off, she stormed through the streets, not really paying attention to where she was going. She didn't care where, really, just as long as it was away from them. She was going to do what she wanted, do something for her, and she was going to do it now. "Excuse me," she grabbed a red haired man's arm.

He turned to look at her. His eyes widened and he gaped at her. Not paying attention to him, she waited. "Uh…yeah," he said, shaking his head.

"Do you how to get out of here? To the city?"

"To the Rukongai, you mean? I don't think you wanna go there," he told her seriously.

"Never mind." Hisana let him go and scoped the area for someone else.

"You're going anyway, aren't you?" he asked her.

"Yup," she popped the 'p'.

He groaned. "Fine. I'll take you. You are just like her, you know."

"Like who?" she asked. He scooped her up into his arms. "What are you doing?"

"This way is the quickest way. Trust me," he told her. "And you act like Rukia."

"Oh, I like her." Hisana confided. She squealed when they took off suddenly. The last time she had been transported in the fashion, she had been so caught up with Ichigo and Karin that she didn't pay any attention to it. Now that she did, she was excited by the intense speeds. She squealed frivolously as she silently urged the man to go faster. He did not, however, and just a few minutes later, it was over.

As he set her down, Hisana looked around at the ancient Japanese town, confused. It looked like something from the late seventeen hundreds. People milled about in traditional kimonos, and they walked around, oblivious or uncaring to the looming world of ivory and stone towers, of the fighting arts and knowledge. It was all at the tips of their fingers and they were not interested, content to wallow in what looked like poverty to her.

"Is this is?" she asked the man with pineapple-like red hair.

"You asked for the city around the Seireitei. This is it. The Rukongai."

"Hn. I expected something, I dunno, more grand, I suppose," she said.

"I know what you mean," the man answered. "After seeing Soul Society, this is kind of a let down, ain't it."

"I suppose," she said.

"The Rukongai around the Seireitei ain't much, but it's the home to millions of souls," he offered out. "The lower districts are nicer, I'll admit, but seventieth district was the closest to us when you asked."

"Okay. Thanks." She flashed him a smile and then started to walk off.

He grabbed her wrist. "You can't go in there," he told her, making her feel like an idiot. She didn't like that.

"Yes, I can." She yanked her wrist back. "That was the entire point to this whole outing,"

"Bu-but it's dangerous! Full of thieves and thugs an-"

"Men, you mean?" she interrupted with sarcastic bark of laughter. "It sounds just like home." She gave the dumb looking man's hand a pat. "I'll be fine. I'll tell Rukia you said hi. What's your name?"

"Renji," he answered. "I'm her best friend."

"Well, I'll tell her you said hi. Toodles,"

"Do you want me to stay with you? Make sure nothing bad happens?" he asked.

Hisana fought the urge to roll her eyes. She was sick of men and their stubbornness and their pig-headedness. Enough was enough. She might have been short compared to most people she encountered here at Soul Society, but dammit, she could take care of herself. The sooner men in general figured out that a woman didn't need a damn shadow every waking moment of the day, the happier a place it would be. "No," she said definitively. "I'm fine, thanks."

The man nodded his head. "Okay. Be safe and be back by eight. That's when they stop letting people come back in."

Hisana nodded, not really paying attention. The stores were already calling to her, begging to her to browse through the kiosks, and look at all of the merchant goods. A new world was calling to her, telling her to forget everything for just a few hours. With a smile, she strode forward, intent on doing just that.

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Renji ran as fast as he could back to the sixth division. How had that woman met Rukia already? He had heard Byakuya specifically forbid her to go anywhere near the devil woman. Hisana had made it sound like Rukia had disobeyed her brother, something that she was not prone to do. What that woman had said, about telling Rukia hi for him, scared him. Just where was Rukia? He hadn't seen her since breakfast, something that was not unusual, but _that woman_ had made the event seem so much more pivotal and ominous that Renji liked. He pumped his arms, and ran. He thought about going to the Thirteenth Division; that was where she should have been. It wouldn't surprise him, however, if Rukia had decided to remain within the confines of the Kuchiki estate and sulk. She was a strong girl, but she was also a stubborn one: if she wanted to make a point about--he wasn't sure what she would be trying to make Captain Kuchiki realize, but whatever it was, she wasn't going to move until she did.

Reaching the towering walls of the infamous prison, Renji slowed his run down to a brisk trot. He barreled along, shoving people who wouldn't move out of his way. Though he held some semblance of respect among the staff for being their overlord's lieutenant, when push came to shove, they still saw him as the ruffian from the upper districts of the Rukongai. Left then right, the trek to Rukia's quarters always took forever. Renji was sure that his captain had put them as far away as possible from the front door as possible just so he would have to walk along time before he could reach her, thus dissuading further visits.

"Rukia!" he pounded on her door. "Rukia!" He didn't hear the expected 'go away', and instead was met with silence.

Fear stabbed him in the stomach. _That woman_ said that she would tell Rukia hi for him. That alluded to Rukia being with her, and Renji didn't like that. She was a demon woman. He had never seen his captain so unraveled as he was when she stepped foot into the Seireitei after fifty years of absence. Captain Kuchiki had stared at her transfixed, and he hadn't been the same since. Anyone who did not know Kuchiki-taicho the way that Renji did would not have noticed it. Now, his dark eyes were slightly unfocused and though his presence was still clearly felt when he walked into a room, there was a duller edge to it, like his soul was somewhere else. With _her_. Renji had known that his captain was still devoted to his wife. He had found the man seeking solace more often than not in the peace of the shrine he created in remembrance of her. Before this wave of incidents, the only picture of Lady Kuchiki that Renji had seen was the one that Rukia owned. Her sister looked so fragile and weak, docile in it, making Renji assume that she was a submissive woman, nothing like her sister. The stories that Rangiku and Hitsugaya-taicho told painted a different picture of her, one that the marks on her body concurred. _If she was such a fighter_, Renji thought bitterly, _why had she abandoned her sister_?

Not being able to stand the suspense any longer, Renji threw the door open. The immaculate room was empty. Maybe Rukia had overcome her sullenness and did go to the Gotei after all, the redheaded lieutenant thought. His pulse slowed back down and he shook his head at his stupidity. Would he ever learn? He was going to shut the door when his gaze fell on a piece of paper resting on Rukia's pillow. It was smooth, still fresh. Picking it up, Renji read it quickly. His mouth fell open.

"Dammit!" he yelled.

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He couldn't believe that he was grateful to the drunken baboon that was the Eighth Division captain. He only came to this point in his life because of her. That insane, simple-minded, forked tongue seductress that was so easily return to the slums that he had rescued her from. The nerve of her! He did not even want to know what she had been thinking as she walked into the filthy place. How the hell was he supposed to find her? Out of the three-hundred twenty districts that composed the Rukongai, she was only in one. And damn it, she had to pick one of the roughest ones for her homecoming.

"Damn it, Hisana," Kuchiki Byakuya muttered as he walked down the street, peering suspiciously at every face, thinking that it was they who had convinced his beloved to return to the slums, accusing every male for hurting her, and damning the entire population for her actions. Did she not know of the danger that the Rukongai presented? Of course not, or else the idiot would not have meandered so willingly into it. Byakuya looked down every alley and in between each of the rotting booths, unwilling to leave any stone unturned. She had to be there somewhere, fate demanded it. It was only fitting that she make her return to the underworld of the Seireitei in Inuzuri.

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She could not process the sights and sounds. It was all too much. The food that the vendors sold smelled amazing, the warming stenches lingering in the air as people walked down the crowded streets. Everything and anything, it seemed, was sold in the Rukongai. There were exotic spices and metalware, candles and lanterns, decorative statues made of gold, silver, iron, and encrusted with both real and flamboyantly fake jewels. She saw turbans, and was amazed that people actually purchased them. A man sold lace fans with gold filigree. Drawn, she could not help but stop and stare appreciatively at them. Her fingers traced over the gold pattern on one. It was oiled black beechwood, she believed. It certainly smelled like beechwood. There was black and violet lace holding the top together, with a delicate design of what looked like roses to Hisana. Her breath was caught in her throat. It was beautiful.

"It matches your hair," a deep voice said.

Hisana jumped erect. Her eyes swerved to the left to see the merchant looking at her with a smile. She flushed in embarrassment of having been caught so off guard. "Really?" she fingered the top of her hair absentmindedly.

"Would you like to try it out?" he asked her.

"Oh no," Hisana held up her hands. "I don't have any money. I was just looking. Sorry,"

The man looked at her shrewdly. She balked slightly under his scrutiny. "Would you like to barter?"

Hisana touched her collarbone in alarm. "With what?"

The man chuckled. "Nothing like that." He tried to give her a comforting smile. "You have good instincts. You must have lived here a long time,"

"Yeah," Hisana found herself agreeing If anyone was listening in on their conversation, she wanted to think that they couldn't mess with her. A girl could never be to careful. "What do you want for it?"

"Your earrings are very lovely,"

Reflexively, she touched them. In her first holes were silver bangles. She had faux diamond studs in her second and third holes. "Which ones?"

"All of them," he answered with a sly grin.

"You want all of my earrings for that one fan?" Hisana asked.

"Hai." He nodded.

"Hell no," she folded her arms across her chest. "Maybe a pair of the studs, but all three of them? No way, no deal."

"Ahh, but it is a lovely fan, all the way from Persia-"

"You got _that_ thing from the land of the living? Puh-lease," she rolled her eyes.

The vendor scowled at her. "It's true," he lied through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Sheeba. A pair of studs or no deal,"

"The middle ones," he said, deciding that they were bigger.

"Deal," Hisana said, knowing that they weren't.

Taking them out, she handed them to the man. He inspected them and then reluctantly gave her the fan. She smiled. That was sinfully easy!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Renji raced around the manor, blindly looking for his captain. If he did not know that his precious baby sister was missing, he would want to. Kuchiki-taicho was not in his study or at the shrine. He wasn't in the gardens, and the Kuchiki matron had not seen him. Renji shuddered. He hated that woman. Perhaps he knew of Rukia's disappearance and had taken matters into his own hands. No, Renji knew that Kuchiki-taicho would have demanded that Renji mobilize the entire squad to find her. Nothing was dearer to his heart that Rukia.

Renji skidded to a halt. If his captain didn't know, that meant that he was in a relatively good mood. If Renji bore him bad news, he would be very agitated. Not only would he disrupt the pleasant mood of Kuchiki Byakuya, he would also bring him horrific news. News that could easily get him killed. His captain would be merciless on him, even though Rukia running away wasn't Renji's fault at all! Kuchiki-taicho would probably use his bankai to hold Renji down and then take a knife and slowly amputate all of his digits, then limbs, and then carve out his innards before pouring sake all over him. Just to keep him awake so he could feel as his eyes were gouged out and he was forced to eat them. Renji turned green.

On second thought, he would find Rukia and convince her to return before Taicho found out.

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She walked down the streets, looking at the fan. It was a beautiful thing, but useless. She felt like a dork for getting it. She had gotten so caught up in the moment, in proving herself, that she had forgotten the number one rule of shopping: don't buy something that you don't want. She told herself that she didn't want in; she had to be practical with her money now that she was raising three kids. No more shopping trips to perk herself up, no more impulse buying, no more tips that were too big really for what she had ordered. Her parents had left her some money, yes, but kids cost a whole damn lot. She might even have to get a second job to help cover the cost of their needy butts.

A few feet away from her, a group of traveling performers danced. She watched with the gather crowd, as the girl is a red skirt twirled around on her toes. She danced with a white scarf, and a sway in her steps. Musicians played the flute and lyre at a lively pace. Hisana watched, entranced. It had been years since she had danced like that. Before she had gone to the university, Mr. Kurosaki had had her enrolled in dance lessons twice a week '_to help get some of that exuberant energy out of her'_ he had told her. She gripped her chin as tears welled up in her eyes. Her breathing grew ragged. She was going to start bawling any second.

Just then, two arms scooped her up. She let out a squeal, but it was to little use. They were already flying through the air. Faster than with Renji, they arrived at their destination. The man set her down on the ground. She turned around, furious.

The tall, beautiful man looked down at her crossly. "Don't make me come get you again,"

"What the hell?" she yelled.

"My sister would never forgive me if I let something happen to you," he told her. "So I will not. I would appreciate if you made that easier on me and did not wander off into the Rukongai."

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" Hisana asked. She did the most childish thing in the world: she shoved him.

He raised an eyebrow at her antics but did not comment on them, choosing instead to answer her question. "I am Kuchiki Byakuya, captain of the Sixth Division."

"You're Rukia's older brother!" Hisana exclaimed with wide eyes. "I love your sister. She's just the sweetest thing,"

He could have smacked Rukia, Byakuya decided. He really could have. He would never tell her how much he did truly love her, but she did truly try his patience. He gave her an order as the head of the family and she still disregarded it. The nerve of the girl! "Thank you," he said tightly.

Hisana grinned at him, either oblivious or uncaring. "Have we met before?" She cocked her head to the side. "You look very familiar."

"We have," he answered.

"Were you my superior officer?"

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"You have it," she quipped back. "But yeah. People keep telling me that I'm some 'reincarnated shingami' or whatever. I didn't believe them, but then I saw you. You look so familiar."

"You weren't in my division," he told her shortly.

Her eyes fell downcast. "Okay,"

"Are you ready to go back?" he asked.

"Back where?" she inquired.

"To the Fourth Division."

"We're not there?" She looked around. They stood in a lush garden. "Well, now I feel dumb."

"Don't," he told her softly.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you,"

"For what?" he asked, mildly interested.

"For helping me, and for not being a man about it," she told him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, offended.

She grinned. "Nothing. It was a compliment."

"You must not have known many good men, then," he determined.

"You're right," she said seriously. "I haven't."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine--

"Ichigo," Rukia said gravely. "We need to talk."

Hisana had left the room hours before. Karin and Yuzu looked at each other with wide, curious eyes. Ichigo stared at the door, glaring daggers at it. He had yet to move and found himself ponder that if he had heat vision, it would have burst into flames. Currently, Ichigo was wishing that Zangetsu would do something about that. "What?" he snarled at her without changing his gaze.

"It's about Hisana," Rukia whispered.

He finally managed to tear his gaze away from the door. Ikkaku and Yumichika slyly slid over, eager to here. They had each formed ideas and fantasies, but the truth was too good to pass up. "Hai?" he asked. He looked exhausted; Rukia's heart broke. There were dark bags under his eyes as evidence that he had not slept well, and his shoulders sagged in defeat. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and comfort him, but she wouldn't. That wasn't her way.

"Do you know who she is? I mean, do you really get it?" she asked. She watched his body for signs of distress. It was a sensitive subject for Ichigo and she had to tread carefully.

"Whaddaya mean, Rukia?" he yawned. He was so tired. He looked at Yuzu's bed longingly. His little sister had curled up into a tiny ball, with her head resting on the pillow. Her eyes were loosely shut, and she slept serenely, dead to the world. The thought of crawling up beside her and sleeping was very appealing. That way, he could protect his sister and get some much needed sleep at the same time.

"Do you remember Nii-sama's confession the day that I was supposed to be executed? About my sister," she clarified. Rukia stared intently at her hands, nervously wringing them. She knew that he wouldn't take the news well, Ichigo never took news well, especially when it would rattle his world again. Twice in one day was probably too much for him to bear, but now that she had started it, Rukia knew that she couldn't leave it unfinished. He would have to be told sooner or later, and she would much rather him hear it from her and not from the gossip chain.

"Yeah," Ichigo shrugged, "What about it?" He could barely keep his eyes open.

Yumichika could have smacked the kid for being so dense. The beautiful man had heard the confession second hand from Rangiku, and even he could see where this was going. Ikkaku, on the other hand, leaned forward in anticipation. This was too good to miss. He had no idea what Rukia's dead sister could have to do with Sani-san, but he wanted to find out. Maybe, she was like, Rukia's long lost granddaughter or something.

"Ichigo, Hisana is my sister reincarnated." She confessed and waited for the explosion.

"What?" It came like a tsunami. "What the hell, Rukia? What are you smoking? Your sister died, what fifty years or some shit ago? Sani's twenty. You got the wrong person." He stood now, his fists tightly balled. He towered over the short girl, and did not try to hide his fury. His spiritual pressure fluctuated greatly and his eyes flashed with the power and the willingness to unleash bankai. He looked at her, furious. How dare she say something like that about Sani. Ichigo didn't believe for a second that Sani was a reincarnated soul reaper. She just didn't have it in her. She was too kind and motherly to be a cold blooded killer. That wasn't even in the realm of possibility for Sani. Ulquiorra said that just to mess with their heads, and it was already working!

"Reincarnation is not an overnight process!" Rukia argued. "And, she's not the wrong person! It's her, Ichigo! I know it is. Every time I look at her, I get a pang right here," she hit her heart with her flat hand, "And I know. I can see it in her eyes, Ichigo. I think she knows on some level that I'm her sister! Why else would she so willingly let me stay with you?"

"Because that is who Sani is! She's like a mom to everybody. Taking you in for a few days would be nothing to her," he shot back. Rukia didn't know Sani like he did. She really was like that every body. Whenever Keigo had fallen out of a tree, she had carried him to the hospital and then sat with him until his mom could come. Then, she cooked them a _ham_! (**A/N: I'm not sure if cooking someone a ham in Japan is a big thing, but here in the good old south, it is.**) That was just the person that Sani was. Rukia did not realize it, only adding fuel to the fire so to speak, when she created the notion that Sani could somehow be related to her.

"A few days?"Rukia looked at him like he was an idiot, which, he was. How he could not see what so plain to everyone else was beyond her. Hisana looked like her and they even had some similar mannerisms! Rukia had seen how her brother had reacted to her. He was in denial; he didn't want to have to face the fact that the woman he supposedly loved so much was back from the dead. That confused Rukia, who thought that the withdrawn man would be ecstatic over the idea that she back. Most important to Rukia, she knew it. The thought felt so right in her soul; she knew that that was her sister, and she would anything and everything in her power to prove it."Ichigo, I ran away! That's commitment!"

"Not to Sani," Ichigo said in a level voice. "She's probably going to try to get you to patch things up with Byakuya. Be honest with yourself, Rukia. You hear the name Hisana and you jump to conclusion. You think that she's your sister because you want to talk to your sister. News flash! Sani ain't your sister, and she ain't gonna let you stay with us!"

"Grow up, Ichigo!" Rukia yelled. Could have been any more a child?

"No, Rukia. You grow up!" She was the most infuriating person that he had ever met, and he knew Sani!

"Why is it so hard for you to think that she might really be my sister? Do you think that she'll abandon you? Is that it, Ichigo?" It all made sense to her. Ichigo was afraid of being replaced in Hisana's affections. She had belonged exclusively to the Kurosaki family, by her own confession no less, for many years, and Ichigo was scared to share her. He thought that her sister was someone with low enough character to abandon them for another family! As if! That didn't fit in Rukia's ever adjusting image of her sister at all. The logical side of her brain said that Hisana had abandoned Rukia so many years ago, but she dismissed it. Hisana must have had a good reason, she decided, and had simply not told Nii-sama. That made perfect sense.

"I don't think she's your sister, because she isn't," he declared, "End of story." He kept the fear out of his voice. Rukia was exactly right, but he was not about to admit that to her. He had more faith in Sani than that. He did not fear her leaving them for Rukia; there was plenty of room in her life for all four of them. No, he was scared of her leaving them for Byakuya. The terse captain was the real threat.

"Way of Binding Number Four: Geki!" Renji shouted as he burst into the room. Rukia let out a surprise squeak as she fell to the ground. She struggled against the glowing red bonds that paralyzed her with no avail. Ichigo blinked in surprise as the redhead stood over their mutual friend, panting heavily.

"Renji!" she yelled at the redhead.

He gave her a look saying shut the hell up, now, and turned to Ichigo. "Yeah," he told Ichigo, "Hisana is Rukia's sister. Taicho confirmed it,"

"There's no way in hell-" Ichigo began to sputter out but he was interrupted.

"I thought so, too," Renji said with a shrug. Personally, it was all too much for him to process. He didn't want to think about what would happen if she moved back in the Kuchikis. If she had a semi-amount of control of his captain, and if Rukia liked her well enough, then she had the power to prevent him from ever seeing Rukia again. He didn't like that thought. He was, after all, a street rat from the Rukongai. She probably would want her sister to do better than him. Hell, she liked Ichigo a whole lot, and he did save Rukia from Aizen. If she had her way, she'd marry her sister off to the carrot-top without a second that. That made his blood boil. What he said next had much more venom than intended. "But whaddaya gonna do? She doesn't have her memories, so it's pointless to try to talk to her about past lifetimes. She'll just think your insane."There. That would halt any attempt on either of their parts to restore that woman's memories. He couldn't even think her name, he hated her so much.

"YOU!" He turned his wrath on Rukia. "What the hell did you think you were doing running away like that? Be glad that I found you before he did, or else he would've killed me!"

"I doubt that ver-" Rukia trailed off. Yes, it was very possible that her brother would take his anger out on his lieutenant. He did it enough on a regular basis. Over something as big as her running away, Byakuya would have had a field day on Renji. They would have found his corpse rotting in a sewage drain a week or two later, disfigured beyond recognition. The smell would have improved, though. "Neh," she said with a shrug in her voice.

"Rukia!" Renji shrieked. "How could yah do this to me? I don't wanna die!" He told her as he slung her over here shoulder. Did she not care for him at all? She should have; she called him her best friend enough for him to warrant some amount of affection.

"Renji!" Rukia protested. "Put me down. NOW!"

"Nope. I gotta take yah back to your house. Like I said, your brother'll kill me if I don't get you back there before him."

"I suggest that you unhand my sister at this moment if you do value your life," a deep drawl said. Everyone in the room froze. The spiritual pressure that flooded around them immobilized them. Silently cursing his luck, Renji didn't have to turn around to see who it was. The spiritual pressure combined with the heartless voice told him exactly who it was: Taicho. If he had been any less of a man, Renji would have shrieked in surprise. Instead, he clutched Rukia's legs a little tighter. She squirmed and did not wiggle whatsoever. Sighing in angst, she fell limp.

"Rukia?"

The girl looked up to see the two people she never expected to meet again standing in front of her. Hisana stood in dirty robes. Her hair was loosely coiled at the base of her neck, and she clutched a cheap-looking fan to her chest. She stared at Rukia with a puzzled expression fixed adorably on her face. Nii-sama stood slightly behind her. The faintest shimmer of reiatsu formed a protective shield around her, as if he were afraid that something would take her from him again. They made the perfect pair, yin and yang. They were both opposites and incredibly similar. She couldn't take her eyes off them.

"Are you all right? Why aren't you moving?" Hisana asked. "Renji, put her down!" she ordered, smacking his back with her fan.

Renji dropped Rukia to the floor. She landed with a loud thud and glared up at Renji. The idiot had dropped her, forgetting that he had not undone the binding spell. She landed hard on her butt. She sent him an 'I Hate You' glare. Nii-sama came to her rescue by silently doing to counter spell. Rukia stood up and brushed the wrinkles from her hakamas.

"You know him?" Rukia asked her sister.

_Please, oh please, oh please_, Renji prayed. Please don't let her tell them. If it came out that he was the one who took her to Rukongai, Kuchiki-taicho would run him through without a second thought. He deserved it, too, but that wasn't the point. He had spent the better half of the day, running around in search of Rukia just to keep him from being beheaded or some shit. Now, the oblivious woman who suddenly was the source of all of his problems, was about to cause him bodily harm.

"He took me to the city around the Soul Society," she said very brightly.

"He did?" Byakuya mused. Renji turned around, feeling the glare of death that was so acutely staring into him. Though the captain did not want to admit it, he obviously cared a great deal for the woman standing beside him. Renji was going to pay for his actions as soon as they were out of her presence.

"Hai!" she chirped. Renji saw the look on her face. She knew what was going to happen, too.

"I see. Rukia, Renji, come. It is getting late, and we need to return to the manor. There are things that we need to discuss,"

Rukia looked at her brother in shock. Before she could clumsily obey, Hisana intervened. "She's having a sleepover with me, tonight."

An eyebrow was arched, a bad sign. "I do not recall her asking permission,"

"I do not recall asking your opinion," Hisana shot back. She folded her arms across her chest and locked her knees, bracing herself, prepared to take on the man before her. He didn't look so tough, with his hair done up like a girl's, she thought defiantly. She had gotten the sword from Yammy before, and he was much bigger than Byakuya.

"Good one," Ichigo slid in a joke.

The two adults looked at him with disgruntled gazes, both of them asking why he was so stupid. They returned to looking at each other with serious eyes. Rukia could have sighed at the nostalgia, but that wasn't who she was. "Very well. I shall see you tomorrow for dinner, Rukia."

"Yes, brother." She bowed low.

He turned to his ex-wife. "Will you be here tomorrow? I need to speak with you about how to proceed with the legal ramifications of this world in the living world." He stood above her, imposing. He noticed how she drew back ever so slightly, but enough for both him and the Kurosaki kid to notice. Ichigo took a protective step towards her. He softened his face, trying to keep the cruel side of it hidden from her. Her eyes shone with defiance, endearing her to him.

"Yes. I'll be here all day," Hisana said without a smile, for once. She clutched her fan just a little bit tighter as he nodded. He looked so imposing, but she could tell that he was trying to not do so. She had to respect him for that.

"Very well," he offered her his hand. She shook it with a grateful yet weary look. He shook it, bowed and then shunpoed out. Renji followed it his footsteps a second after that. Hisana stared after the door for a moment, almost longingly.

"You think he's cute, don't you?" Ichigo snapped. He secretly felt relieved when he had seen the apprehension in her eyes. That quickly died when she shook his hand in a confident manner, and then, she had the nerve to watch him leave with that look on her face! Sap was written all over it, disgusting him to his very core.

Hisana whipped around. "Don't be an ass, kid." He was treading on dangerous territory, and he knew it.

"Did he buy you that fan?" he asked. Come on, Sani. Yell, scream, rant, punish. Hate Ichigo, hate Byakuya. Hate the whole damn Seireitei.

Hisana threw it down on the bed. "Nah. I bartered for it." She kept telling herself to not let the kid see her anger. That would keep him going, and she didn't want that. Ichigo was brave enough and dumb enough to bring it up, and she didn't want that happening. Especially not in front of Rukia.

"With what?" Ichigo asked.

She pushed an ear out. "A pair of earrings."

"What a stupid thing to do," he snapped.

"Yeah, but I wanted to," she teased.

"You always do what you want," he retorted.

"Not anymore," Hisana confessed. "Now, I only going to do what's best for you all. Your my purpose, my reason for existing!" she said in a singsong voice.

"Then it's perfect timing that you decide to like some guy," Ichigo muttered.

"What did you say?" she asked, looming down at him. Ichigo blinked, surprised at the anger that she was so suddenly filled with. Her eyes blazed so fiercely that he swore he saw flames.

"You picked a good time to finally like a guy? You haven't had a date in what five years? Something about swearing off men after the incident which shall never be mentioned again," he stuttered.

"Damn straight. No boys, no men. Just me, you, the twins, and celibacy. Don't forget that. Now, get your ass to bed," Hisana ordered.

Pale, Ichigo obeyed.

Rukia watched, confused. The twins had already nestled under the sheets of their beds and closed their eyes. They pretended to be asleep, but Hisana knew that they had heard the whole exchange. Rukia looked at her sister with questioning eyes. Hisana glanced at her. "He knew better," was her explanation.

"Hn," Rukia grunted, not understanding at all.

"Girls, do you want me to sleep in here tonight?" Hisana asked them.

Simultaneously, Karin and Yuzu shook their heads, surprising Rukia who thought that they were asleep. Sani gave them a soft, motherly smile. "Okay. We'll be right down the hallway. Yell if you need us, and I promise, I'll be here it two seconds, flat. Hai?"

"Hai, Sani," Karin said. Yuzu just yawned.

"Okay. Sleep tight," she said as she kissed Karin's head, "Don't let the bed bugs bite," she kissed Yuzu's head gently. "I'll see you two tomorrow morning."

"Sani?" Yuzu yawned. "Can you make us pancakes?"

"Sure, kid." Sani winked. "Nighty night."

Rukia followed Hisana down the short walk. "You can shower," Hisana said. "And then, we will talk."

"About what?" Rukia asked in a timid voice.

"Your brother,"

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Nanao looked at her hirsute captain. It had been a long time since he had seen her with his hair down, and though she would never admit it to his face, she liked it. It added a certain roguish charm to him. "Taicho," she said gravely, "May I have permission to go visit Sani-chan tomorrow? I know that you want me to help you patrol the streets, but all I'm asking is for an hour or two."

"Nanao-chan, you know I can't let you do that," Kyoraku said softly, brushing a stray hair from her cheek. "The General has set it up so that our Sani-san does not meet any of us. He doesn't want her to get back her memories."

"That's so unfair," she pouted. He couldn't resist the way her full lips swelled. Leaning forward, he gave her a soft, tantalizing kiss. It was just enough to make her nerves explode and eyesight fuzzy, but not enough for her to loose control. He pulled back with a loving smirk on his face.

"I know it is, dear Nanao-chan, but it is a rule we must obey," he tried to comfort her but she pulled out of his grasp.

"It isn't fair!" she cried. "Why can't she get her memories back? Why can't I get my best friend back? Why, why why?" she screamed. She so rarely lost control of her emotions that Kyoraku was stunned. His soft-spoken lieutenant looked at him. Her enchanting eyes were full of anger and confusion. He saw the flicker of tears dance around, but she was too strong for that. Instead of crying on him, she turned from her lover and punched a pillow on his bed. Kyoraku wrapped his arms around her and drew her back into his lap in a comforting gesture. He rested his head in the crook of her neck and let her finish her tirade. "He doesn't have anything to lose by letting her get back her memories!" Nanao snarled.

"But he does, Ise-fukutaicho," a feline voice said from the window. The two lovers broke apart so quick that you would have though lightning had struck.

"Shihoin-san!" Nanao gasped as she struggled to pull the front of her dressing robe closed. She pushed her captain's arms off of her and flashed out of his lap, her face beat red. "What are you doing here?"

"I was going to catch up with an old friend, but I didn't realize that he was busy. Forgive the intrusion."

"It is nothing, Shihoin-san," Kyoraku said with a wide grin. He relaxed as he leaned back and rested his weight on his palms. "My Nanao and I were just chitchatting."

"I can see that," she answered as she looked at them and their intimate attire. "But, you were wrong, Ise-san, Yamamoto does have something to lose if Reiko-san gets back her memories."

"What?" Nanao asked, suddenly feeling much more open to the cat woman's presence.

"I'm not sure," Shihoin answered somewhat ruefully. "All I know is that it's got Kisuke nervous. He won't stop tinkering with little objects and talking quirky nonsense. I've never seen him this way."

"She did serve as his lieutenant. Maybe she knows something that he did that he doesn't want the rest of us to know," Nanao hypothesized. She folded her arms across her chest in an attempt to compose herself. She knew that she was a mess. Her hair was down and ratted from their previous activities, and she couldn't find her glasses everywhere.

"What could be worse than the Hougyoku?" Shihoin returned.

Nanao shrugged in an unprofessional way. "Good point,"

"No," Shihoin folded her arms across her chest. "It is something else, something much more diabolical."

"I don't think Urahara-taicho has it in him to be diabolical, Yoruichi-san," Kyoraku said. "He's too--" the captain paused, thinking of the right allegory, "--much like me, for that."

"Che," Yoruichi snorted. "You two are just as similar as you are different,"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Now, if you'll excuse us," Kyoraku said. His Nanao looked positively adorable in her current predicament. Her sex hair always made him hungry for more, and the red flush that colored her entire body was so cute. Plus, when she crossed her arms, she exposed a certain amount of cleavage that she would never do under normal circumstances.

Yoruichi chuckled. "Fine. Have fun. And don't worry, Ise-san, I won't tell a soul about this. Though I have to say, it is very unprofessional of you." Nanao gaped at the woman. True, it was against dorm rules for her to have a relationship with her captain, but she had been conveniently forgetting about it for the past decade. To have it thrown in her face in such a way was a rude and unwelcome wake-up call.

"Don't say that!" Kyoraku whined. "You don't know how long I had to work before she even let me kiss her!" He looked at his precious lieutenant who stared at the rumbled bed with a calculating look on her face. Any chance he had of scoring again that night when down the drain.

"She doesn't need to know that!" Nanao shrieked, brought from her contemplative thoughts with unbridled embarrassment, as Yoruichi disappeared with the speed that she was known for, cackling at the two lovebirds.

Nanao smacked her clandestine loved. "What?" he asked.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

He couldn't bear to look at his face in the mirror. Every time he did, he saw a traitor. He cursed himself. His body had succumbed to her touch and will; he was like puddy in her hands. How could he be so easily manipulated by her! She was just a woman! A small, little…beautiful, elegant, sophisticated, easily pissed off woman! He dealt with carbon copies of her each and every day, yet still…only she could turn him into this! It infuriated him. But if he closed his eyes, he could still see her. The calm, cool beckoning in her eyes that promised to lead him to bliss and the natural, coquetry swing of her hips as she walked enticed him. She arched her back ever so slightly as she walked, and raised up on her toes just barely, like a ballerina about to preform. Everything about her was seductive, and she heedlessly called out to every man. Not even he could withstand her charms.

He had seen the pain in her eyes when she told him that she had not met many good men. Though thrilled at the prospect that there was no one waiting for her back in the land of the living, he did not like that pain. She should have had no reason to feel any sort of pain. Kurosaki Isshin had failed her if she had been in pain. The bastard was lucky that he was dead, or else, the captain would have ripped him apart with his bare hands. No one would ever hurt his Hisana, not while there was still breath left in his body.

_**NO**_! He had to stop thinking those cursed thought. She was not his Hisana, she was not the reincarnation of his wife. Though she looked like her, and impudently acted like her, he kept telling himself that she was not his beloved wife. He could not get involved in a relationship with her. Captain Yamamoto had designed his assignments to keep them all far from her, and he could see why. Hisana had been fiercely loyal to her friends, and had demanded unending loyalty in return. Ise Nanao had been her best friend, as had Ichimaru Gin. Yamamoto might have suspected that Hisana was somehow involved with Aizen and the Hougyoku. Chronologically, she had fallen sick and died just before the project was completed. It was a logical leap that she had had something to with one or the other, both even perhaps. If she had confided in Ichimaru, leading to his betrayal, the same fate could await Ise. The general did not want anymore mutineers.

As for Byakuya, a romantic relationship with her would be a dishonor to his wife. That was something he could not allow. Hisana had always been first in life, and she remained first in his life in death. Though this heathenish ryouka looked and acted like her, she would never be her. Hisana was who she was because of her memories, and that woman did not have them. No matter how charming, how beautiful and familiar she might seem, he had to remain strong. It was possible to resist her, just extremely difficult. He felt himself up to the challenge. He had managed to withstand that onslaught of marriage proposals that came every day after his beloved's death. This should not be any harder, he vowed.

It would be. He could still feel in her in his arms as he flash stepped them back to the Fourth Division. He heard the squeal in here voice as she cried out. Height nor speed had frightened her: she was just as brave as ever. The dare in her eyes when she had challenged him about Rukia. Though unaware of noble customs, she blithely disregarded them, like she had done in her past life, for the sake of her wants. She was still stubborn, and pigheaded, and rude, crass and unbelievably ill-tempered, but his heart still cried out when he had set her down. He ached when she was not there, and his soul soared every time he saw her smile. She still smiled. She always seemed to have a smile on her face, just like before. Even when she argued furiously, she had that angry smile, daring you to try to best her, daring you to beg for defeat. He always loved that.

Yes, deep down, he knew he was still very much in love with Hisana, and that that love had transferred over to her reincarnation. He also knew that getting himself to recognize that love would take much more than her physical appearance.

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A/N: Hey guys! I just realized that I haven't taken the time to talk to you all yet. Hi! My name's Ange, and I'm glad that you have taken the time to read my story! For all of you out there who reviewed, thank you so much. I can't tell you how much each and every review makes my day. It makes me want to write more and more, faster and faster.

As most of you have noticed, I am updating everyday sometime in the late afternoon. I've been trying to do it around four, but lately, it's been between five and seven. Sorry if I've kept anyone waiting. I don't think that updates will be quite so steady after today. I will try to get a chapter up tomorrow, but after that, it might be a week or so. You see, last week, I was at home, deathly sick and I used the few hours that I was not sleeping to write. So basically, I wrote the first half of this last week, I haven't been at school yet! Can you believe it? Well, you see, here in little old Kentucky, we've been hit with a major ice storm, and do I mean major. The eastern half of the state is without power and a good chunk of Lexington is as well. The roads seriously have three inches of ice on them, then a layer of rain, then snow. So, while I am homebound, I've been writing and trying to catch-up on school work. The next big thing that I have to tackle is Algebra II, and for me, that's a doozy.

I can't really write on Saturdays now, because track has started up in earnest. The meets go on for hours and hours, literally. From like noon to six. And that isn't including the drive time. It's a rule that meets have to be as far away as possible. Bleh!

So, I ask that you be patient. I will update as soon as I can. Thanks, and love you all bunches!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten-

"Is she normally like that?" Rukia asked Ichigo. Rukia had let Hisana take a shower first. She had been in there a good twenty minutes. Steam frothed from under the door as a testament to that. They had sat together in awkward silence for a while. Though they had shared a living space before, it was not with the knowledge of an adult supervisor. Now, they were afraid to act normal, afraid that, somehow, something they did without a second thought was inappropriate.

"Hormonally insane?" He scoffed. "Yeah. Or, at least, she is when I push her buttons." He admitted. "In all honesty, I shouldn't've said it, but I did, and now, I've gotta live with it."

"Why did you say it?" Rukia knew better than to ask what he was referencing to. The look of fear and pain in her sister's eyes had been enough to tell Rukia that it was a horrible experience. Though her curiosity was overpowering, her craving for her sister's love was even stronger. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

"Because he wanted me to be angry," Hisana announced from the doorway. Rukia's head turned so fast that it got whiplash. Hisana stood with a towel wrapped around her thin body. With a hand towel, she dried off her long, purple-black hair; her eyes peering into Ichigo's head. He met her intense gaze without flinching. Some silent conversation passed between them, and Rukia felt a pang of jealousy. She wondered if she would ever have that type of relationship with her sister.

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. He gave her a half-assed grin. "It worked,"

"It did. Rukia, there is plenty of water left if you want to shower," Hisana told her. "If you want, I can play with you hair later,"

Rukia looked at her like she had grown an extra head. "Sure," she muttered.

"Sani, why are you in the towel?" Ichigo asked. Rukia stopped walking and looked at her sister. She was absentmindedly fiddling with her wet hair as she opened the cabinet door in search of tea.

"Because, my sweatpants are still drying and I am washing the robe. Duh," she said. "You thirsty?"

Ichigo reclined on the couch. "Yeah. Got anything good?"

Hisana checked the fridge. "Nope. I gotta go to the store tomorrow. We don't have…like…anything."

"Can you pick up rice cakes while you're there? I like the apple-cinnamon kind."

"Whatever," she said.

Rukia watched the scene, astounded. Had they forgotten that they were in the Soul Society? They spoke as if they were back at their house, not guests somewhere. Her sister was nothing like she had expected. There was no refined manner in her speech or gentle elegance that was a must have quality for any lady of nobility. She had quiet and honest, and though there was an educated side to her words, it was not the quality of the aristocracy. It was the sound of someone trying hard to fit in, and coming so close that it was painfully obvious that they did not belong. It saddened Rukia that her sister fell so hard from her expectations.

"Hisana," she interrupted their odd conversation. Ichigo shot Rukia a disgruntled look, which she chose to ignore, focusing her full attention on her sister. It was then that Rukia realized that she had nothing to say to her. She had gotten as far as saying her name. After that, it was add lib and she had nothing to add. Hisana gave her an expectant grin, standing patiently with the milk in. Rukia's gaze zeroed in on her eyes. Thank goodness, there was a subject to bring. "What happened to your eyes? Earlier they were blueish-purpley. Now, they're…" she searched for the right word.

"Dull blue?" Hisana provided with a bark of harmonious laughter. Rukia sighed. There were some things about her sister like she had imagined. "That's because I was wearing contacts, kid. Purple ones. I haven't taken them out in four days now, and they were really starting to hurt. Besides, they needed to be cleaned." She nodded to the two bowls filled with water on the counter.

"You have contact solution?" Ichigo asked, sitting up from his sprawl on the couch.

"Just normal water," Hisana replied.

"That doesn't clean them, baka,"

"I know that!" Hisana shot back. "But I had to take them outta my eyes for a while. Gosh, kid, you sure are in a mood tonight."

Ichigo folded his arms over his chest and did not answer. He lay back down on the couch, sullenly sulking. Hisana rolled her dull blue eyes. Rukia's breath left her body. Her sister looked so much more normal then and there. There was no allure to her face, no intensity to it. Rukia would even dare to say that she was just as pretty, if not prettier than her sister. Then, Hisana smiled brightly and laughed, and Rukia knew that the last thought was untrue. When she smiled, Hisana was absolutely beautiful. She didn't understand how someone could go from being so plain to so radiant with one action.

"Ichigo, do you realize what today is?" she asked with a dazzling smile, flooring Rukia again.

"No. What?" he grunted.

"It's your parents anniversary," she said.

"Oh---eeewwwwwwwwhhhhhhhh!" Ichigo jumped off the couch. He shut his eyes tightly and cupped his hands over his ears. Sani laughed hysterically at him.

Rukia looked on, confused. "I don't understand,"

Hisana was merciful on her. Ichigo was still too disgusted by the thought to process anything else. "Mr. Kurosaki always had me watch the kids for the weekend while he took the Mrs. out to celebrate."

"I thought your mom died when you were young," Rukia said to Ichigo.

"She did," he answered; his face was a peculiar shade of green. He looked like he was going to loose his stomach at any given moment. "That's the point,"

Rukia gasped. "Eww!"

Hisana chuckled. "We know. It always got to us, too."

"I can see why. If you excuse me, I need to go shower just to get myself clean." Rukia dismissed herself.

"Make sure it's a cold one!" Hisana called as she shut the door. She didn't understand the joke, but Ichigo must have. He shouted Sani's name in an indignant fashion and threw a pillow at her. She shrieked and laughed. Through the door, Ichigo apologized for his babysitter's perverted nature. Hisana laughed at him again, saying that he thought it too. She hadn't heard what Ichigo mumbled in response. Later, she emerged from the steaming shower to find Ichigo and Hisana fast asleep. Hisana had donned her baggy gray sweatpants and from the looks of it, her bra. Ichigo lay on the couch with his mouth open and his tongue hanging out. He still was in his shinigami attire.

Hisana sat up as she closed the door. "How was your shower?" she asked.

"Fine," Rukia muttered, embarrassed at her sister's garb. Did she have no sense of propriety?

Hisana was insightful enough to realize the cause of her discomfort. "Does this bother you? I can put on a shirt if you want,"

"It's not me, per say. I mean, I am similarly endowed." Well, not quite, Rukia thought with a flush. Her sister was more curvaceous than Rukia could ever dream to be, but that wasn't the point. "I thought that Ichigo would have been uncomfortable with you dressed like that."

Hisana looked down at her decently sized cleavage. "Ichigo?" she said with genuine surprise. "Nah. He's like my brother. I could walk around naked and he wouldn't care. Actually, he would probably be disgusted." She chuckled. "He's seen me in a bikini at least once every summer and that doesn't bug him at all. We just don't see each other like that."

For some reason, that surprised Rukia. Ichigo was an attractive person for his age, and plenty of girls seemed to think he was cute enough. Rukia was not blind. She saw those redeeming qualities and physical attributes that made girls tremble and weak in the knees. She would have had to have been blind not too. There were even a few times, she would never admit it, however, that Ichigo had made her stomach queazy with want. She also knew that Hisana was attractive. Yumichika's reaction to her was proof enough for that. Why they did not gravitate to each other was the enigma. Hisana had earlier stated that Ichigo was like her brother, and vice versa. If that was the case, then they viewed each other the way she viewed Nii-sama: aware of the charm and presence, but not even remotely attractive sexually because they were family. Suddenly, her eyes were clear and she understood.

"Gotcha," she said with complete honesty.

"Good," Hisana smiled. "Come on, and let's go to sleep."

"We're sharing a futon?" Rukia asked for clarification.

"Yeah," Hisana propped her head up on her hand. "Have you never had a sleepover before?"

Rukia shook her head. "I don't have many girl friends,"

"Aww," Hisana pouted in a playful manner. "Poor Rukia. Oh well, we'll fix that now, won't we?" She giggled. "Of course we will. During sleepovers, girls will often stay up late, chitchatting about various, often pointless or stupid topics. Such as: does he like you or not, do you think he's cute too, twenty questions, crank phone calls, and date, kill and fuck? All of which are fun, not family approved games. Also, there is a confession time where we reveal our deepest, darkest secrets and then swear to never tell. If we do that, we might have to be quiet so Ichigo doesn't wake up and hear everything. Kay?"

Rukia blinked. It was an awful lot to take in. "Okay," she said as she slid beneath the sheets.

Hisana scooted over. "Don't worry. Girls share beds all the time in the human world. There's nothing weird about it. Just when guys do it is it weird."

"That doesn't seem fair," Rukia commented.

"It isn't. But that's just how it is. If two guys sleep together, people assume their gay. I don't know why."

"But they don't if girls do it?"

Hisana shook her head. "No. And no, I don't know why. I guess it just makes more sense for girls than it does for guys."

"Whatever you say," Rukia said.

Hisana grinned. "I think that we're going to be the best of friends, Rukia."

Rukia smiled. "That would be nice,"

They eventually drifted off to sleep, but not before Rukia had learned several interesting things about Hisana, and Hisana about Rukia. Ichigo didn't sleep a wink that night as he tried to process it all. He was lucky that he was such a good actor.

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Ikkaku stared up at the ceiling. He and Yumichika had tried to return to the barracks after sundown, but the captain had caught them. He apparently did not trust the Tenth Division enough to watch the Kurosakis while they were sleeping. He was already annoyed that he would not get to sleep on is comfortable bed, but now he would have no one to talk to. The annoying family had decided to split up, forcing their bodyguards to do so as well. Yumichika had volunteered to sit outside the woman's door, leaving him with the two whelps. For the life of him, Ikkaku could not understand why Yumichika was all uptight about security. Sure, the idiot was a workaholic and an incessant neat freak, but he was suddenly taking things to a whole new level. As he sat outside the door, he pondered many things that night, mostly about his friend, the Eleventh Division, and hoping that he was wrong.

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Rukia had never had a pancake before. It was a life changing experience. The light, fluffy flat cake seemed like it melted in her mouth. It was amazing. Hisana had spent the better half of the morning lecturing her on the uses of syrup and then lamenting the fact that there was no syrup for her to try. It was one of that bad things about the Seireitei in her opinion. But whatever, Sani winked, it wasn't like she cared or anything, neh? By the end of breakfast, all Rukia knew about her sister was that she was a confusing person. She had gotten lost several times during their conversation. Ichigo, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem following the sporadic girl. They talked about everything from fish to politics, and Rukia was at an utter loss as to how they got the band An. Cafe.

"Ah-ha!" Hisana flung the door open.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked with amused disgust. "That's what--the fourth time you've done that? The first time, I thought you were being stupid, but now, you're just being an idiot."

She looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him. "Baka," was her retort. "I swear that there is somebody out here. I can feel them. It's like they are always watching and I don't like it."

"You mean Yumichika and Ikkaku?" Ichigo smacked his forehead with his palm. "They are supposed to be watching out for know, see but not be seen,"

"Like ninjas," Hisana concluded.

Ichigo groaned. "Why do we even let you out of the house?"

"But that's the truth!" she shouted.

"Baka." He threw his fork at her. She ducked. It flew behind her and clattered to the floor.

"No," she snapped decisively, "You are the baka, Ichigo. Go get the fork,"

Grumbling about annoying women, he obeyed. Rukia laughed as she sipped her tea. Wherever the Kurosaki household was, it was never boring. The laughter subsided sometime later, and they fell into a comfortable silence; Rukia sat, content to stir her tea while Hisana complained.

"Gah! I've got so much to do once we get back to the normal world. I've gotta get official custody of you kids, and then we're going to have to buy a house. Yours' is destroyed, Ichigo and the apartment just isn't big enough, especially with Okaye's fat ass. I still have to get all of my lesson plans ready and I need to reread the summer reading. You still need to do all of your summer work and we have to get you caught up. Your grades last year weren't satisfying at all, young man. I can bitch about stuff like that to you because I am now your parent, your older sister, and your teacher all at once, bucko!" She counted the list off on her fingers while her eyes danced merrily in anticipation.

"We need to get you all new clothes as well, and get your bodies fixed one-hundred percent. We also need a cover story to give them. You haven't been seen in that world for a week now, but your house just exploded. We need a lie, and a good one at that. There is just a ton to take care of. Groceries!" Hisana threw her hands up in exasperation. The thought of the grocery bill alone terrified her. Her cost of living was about to raise astronomically, and she was too scared to think of it.

"It'll be okay, Sani." Ichigo said in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He was so confused and puzzled about how his life had drastically changed, that he had forgotten that others were going through the same things. Yuzu and Karin were now orphans, just like him. That word scared him shitless. He was an orphan. They had no one left. He looked at the table as his eyes clouded over with tears. They could be separated and they might never see each other again. So many things could go wrong, and so many things could keep them apart forever. They had already lost their parents, Ichigo was sure that they couldn't loose each other and still be sane. Sani gripped his hand.

"It'll be okay, kid," she told him. He smiled as she repeated his words. She squeezed his hand, reassuring him that though everything was different, they would still be together. He felt foolish. He should have realized that Sani would do everything in her power to keep them together, safe and healthy. It amazed him that she was barely five years older than he yet she seemed to hold a strength well beyond her years. She had gone from a young woman--barely a woman, he had to admit--to a mother of three in one day. Her oldest child was five years younger than she! If it had been anyone else, Ichigo would have said that they would have folded under the pressure, that they would changed their minds. Not Sani. Sani was too strong.

_**Che, she did abandon her own sister when the going got tough, King**_, a dark voice commented in his head. Ichigo bristled. Trying to not show his consternation at Shirosaki's voice, he nodded his head and squeezed her hand back. They could make it through this together. _**Don't be like that, Ichigo. I'm just sayin'**_… his voice trailed off speculatively. …Yah never know.

_Shut up_! Ichigo thought._ Shut up! I don't wanta talk to you right now! _He tried to keep his face impassive. He didn't want Sani to be bothered by the inner hollow. Ichigo could handle him on his own. '_**So, she don't know 'bout me, eh? Pity. I like her, she's cute.**_'

_'SHUT UP!_' Ichigo screamed in his head. Shirosaki could not be any more perverted than he was. He was constantly leering after Inoue or Rukia. Now Sani. That was just disturbing. He didn't want to hear thoughts like that about her. That was too close for comfort.

'_**What's that supposed to mean, boss?**_' loomed Shirosaki's voice. '_**Too close for comfort? You like her like that, or somethin'? Kinky,'**_

Ichigo jerked out of Hisana's grasp. She looked at him with bright, startled eyes. He tired to soften his gaze, and tell her silently that he was not mad. She scooted over to his side when he rested his head in his hands. His gaze was locked on the table. He wanted the man in his head to shut up. **'**_**Why, King? I'm just enjoying the view**_**,**' Sani did not help matters by comfortingly wrapping an arm around his shoulders, exposing a great deal of her cleavage in the process. While Ichigo was unaffected, Shirosaki was another matter all together. Ichigo could not stop the groan that escaped his lips at all of the perverted words and fantasies the hollow conjured.

Rukia picked up on the cause of Ichigo's distress and skillfully changed the subject. "So, Hisana, what made you decide to teach?"

"The incident that shall never be mentioned again," Ichigo muttered. Shit. This day was going down south, fast.

Rukia flushed bright red. "Oh," she stuttered out. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know-"

"It's okay, hon." Hisana interrupted. She removed her hand from Ichigo's shoulder, silencing the hollow. Shirosaki's attention was now focused on Sani's admission. "If you're gonna move in with us, you should know."

"You don't have to tell me, Hisana." Rukia said softly, reassuringly.

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed. "You really don't gotta,"

"It's okay." Hisana reassured them. She took a deep breath. "I guess that I should start from the beginning. My mother was crazy, and I don't mean, she was kar-RAZY!" Hisana shouted with a cheesy smile as she wiggled her hands. "I mean, we the jury find the defendant. She stabbed my father forty-six times in torso and then slit her throat, but not until she stabbed my two elder sisters to death as well. She thought that she had killed me as well, but I was lucky. She missed all of my major organs. See." Hisana stood up and twirled around. Rukia scrutinized her body for imperfections, assuming that that was what her sister wanted her to do. She saw three scars, small and almost invisible. Two were on the left side on her stomach, and there was another several inches up on the same side.

"I walked away from it, literally. While scientists searched the house for evidence, and police roamed the city in search of me, I was busy walking in the suburbs of Karakura Town. That's how I met Isshin, Rukia. He found me walking around, all bloody and delirious, with no clue who I was or what had happened. He took me back to his house and clinic where he treated my wounds. I only had the three and none of them were deep. Masuki bathed me and put me to sleep.

"They had no idea what to do with me. The authorities were slow to responding and they suddenly had to children on their hands. Mr. Kurosaki told me that I was a big ball of energy and that was what started the dance lessons. But those came much later. A week or so later, after I had significantly ingrained myself into their lives, and thusly seduced Ichigo-"

"You did not!" Ichigo interrupted. He looked at her with a glare. "You did not seduce me!"

"You fell in love with me!" she taunted with a large smile. "It's the same thing. Now shut up."

"I thought you were my older sister!" he shouted.

"Yeah, whatever. The point is we bonded. Eventually, the police found me, and I told them that my name was not Nimuri anymore, but Kurosaki. That made them laugh and they took me away. That was the worst time in my life. All I knew where reporters, and cameras, and questions. They interrogated me over and over and over again with the same questions that I didn't understand. All I wanted to do was go back to the Kurosakis's. I stopped eating, drinking, talking and then sleeping. Finally, Mr. Kurosaki came and got me. We changed my last name to Reiko because I was infamously and unhappily known as the Nimuri Heiress--my parents were extremely wealthy. After that, I was an unofficial part of the family.

"As for teaching, I used to dance all the time. That's all I did was dance. When I was seventeen, I gave the performance of my life. I felt like I shined like a star that night. The whole family was there to see me as well, so that was what made it the best night of my life. Cliche, I know, but I don't care. I was waiting at the dancer's entrance when I was attacked. I broke my knee in two places and then my ankle. Before the thing could escalate any further, Ichigo came and the man ran away. That was the end of that. I couldn't dance any more so teaching was the next best thing.

"Ta-dah!" she announced. "That's how it happened."

"Huh," Rukia said. "That's not what I expected."

She shrugged. "That's it."

"How's your head?" Rukia asked Ichigo.

"It was bothering you?" Hisana asked.

Before he could answer her, Rukia interrupted. "She doesn't know?"

"Know what?" Hisana asked, looking between them. They glared at each other. Ichigo looked like he was going to kill Rukia on sight.

"About his inner hollow," Rukia offered.

"What's that?" Hisana asked.

"It's like a split personality. There are two souls inhabiting his body." Rukia explained.

"Is it common?"

"No. It's incredibly rare."

"Is it life threatening?"

"Just annoying," Ichigo snarled. "He's a real idiot." Shirosaki snorted.

"How do I know who I'm talking to?"

"The other guy is never in control. It's always me," he confided. "If the other guy ever takes over, you'll know because we're nothing alike."

"Oh," Hisana nodded her head. "That' really weird."

"I know."

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A/N: I know that this is a slow chapter and I was late on the update. Sorry for that, but at least I got it done today. Now, I've got a question. I am thinking about adding other couples into the story. It will be mainly ByaxSani fic, but I thought a few more couples might spice things up and make the story longer. Let me know who you want and I'll try to do it. I'm good with het or yaoi pairings. I'll do OC's too. I just as wondering. Luvs! Ange.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven--

She felt awkward, standing before the tall man in her sweatpants and thin tank top. It was what she wore whenever she didn't care what people thought of her, but the only time she felt that way was when she was with her family, a.k.a., the Kurosakis. Standing so short before the captain, she felt like an idiot and poor. She was too stubborn to put back on the haori and hakamas from the hospital. Those made her feel frumpy, and she would take poor over frumpy any day. With a strangled grin, she looked up at him as she kept her arms straight and clapped her hands. She must have really looked like a dork. He didn't seem to notice or care.

"Pancakes?" she offered, doing anything to break the uncomfortable silence.

He looked down at her with disdain. "Excuse me?"

She sighed. "Would you like some pancakes?"

"What are pancakes?" He said the last word with contemptuous curiosity.

She rolled her eyes. Were people in the Seireitei so repressed that they did not know the fluffy delight that was a pancake? She shook her head in mock sadness. "A pancake is a flat cake made of eggs, milk and bisquick, and it is one of the best breakfasts in the whole wide world. It is traditionally eaten with chocolate chips and a type of fruit if one prefers, but the supply here is limited."

"It is a breakfast food?" he asked.

"Duh," she gave him a look that told him if she had been talking to Ichigo, she would have smacked him for asking such a dumb question. Folding her arms across her chest, she looked at him with speculative annoyance. "Do you want some or not?"

"I have already eaten breakfast," he stated.

"Your point?"

"That was it," he said crisply.

"Okay then," she said with a jerk of her head. "All you had to do was say no,"

"I said it with some grace," he retorted, his face as impassive as ever. "Are you always so brisk in the morning?"

She blinked. "I wouldn't know."

They both stopped. Hisana closed her eyes in embarrassment as Byakuya looked at her like she announced that she was an escaped convict from the loony bin. He grinned on the inside. She was still quick tongued and blunt. Hisana had never had a problem expressing her thoughts, and she was always honest with whomever she was speaking. The only problem with her bluntness meant that she did not filter what she thought and she said what she thought. She would laugh and tell him that it kept her more honest that way. She had never like a liar. Sani could have smacked herself on her head. She was an idiot; always had been, always would be, and she was proud of it. However, she did embarrass herself a lot when she said stupid things that made no sense.

Laughter bubbled in the depths of her stomach. That was the one redeeming quality of her incessant honesty: she could make fun of herself. She entire body quivered, alarming Byakuya enough to force him to take a step forward. She couldn't contain it any longer. Eyes shut, she clutched her stomach as laughed pealed like bells from her lush lips. Tears formed at the edges of her eyes, but she promised herself that she wouldn't cry. Brushing them gruffly from her face with the back of her wrist, she looked up at the captain with red cheeks and a twinkle in her grin. Byakuya stared down at the woman. She had lost her mind officially.

"Sorry," she ran a hand through her hair, another dumb action. It was pulled up again, so it loosened it and mussed it all up. She giggled, wondering how she had survived her twenty years. "I'm an idiot,"

"Hn," he grunted.

She playfully punched his arm. "I know you think so, too. It's okay. Ichigo would have already gotten me under his arm and given me a noogie."

Byakuya blinked. "A what?" he yelped in surprise. He couldn't help it. The word sounded so crude and vulgar, it only could conjure one image in his mind, and it was definitely an image that he did not want to see Hisana doing with any man other then himself, especially the pathetic excuse of a shinigami that was Kurosaki.

"A noogie. You know, when someone holds your head under their armpit and runs their hand all over your head, messing up your hair while they scream 'noogie' real loud?" she explained.

"We do not do that in this world," he told her seriously.

"That's because you all don't do anything fun here. You all probably don't even play ass tag," she grumbled with a smile.

"I don't want to know," he informed her.

She rolled her eyes. "You were repressed as a child. I know that you disagree with me, but I am right. So we have to do that whole agree to disagree thing. 'Kay? Kay." She clapped her hands together. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"Do you know how to proceed with the legal works of the situation in the human world?" he inquired dully.

She shook her head. "Nope," she popped the 'p'. "But I think that I'll pick it up quick. I'm a fast learner,"

"While that may be true-" Hisana glared at his lack of faith in her words, but he easily ignored her. "-do you realize the severity of what you agreed to do for the Kurosakis? Raising three children will be difficult, and the financial repercussions are severe. I know that when we adopted Rukia there was an immediate shift in our accounts, and we are extremely wealthy."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I inherited quite a sum from my parents, and I've got a job. We'll manage somehow. I love them and they are definitely worth it."

He nodded his head. "Good. You need to be prepared for that. Do you have adequate housing?"

"I've got an apartment, but we'll have to get a house. I'm in a two bedroom right now, and I have a roommate. Our lease ends in a month, though. I know that Okaye was talking about moving out to be with his lover. So, it's perfect timing."

"Hai," he said with a furrow of his brow. Byakuya didn't like the fact that Hisana had lived with another man, even if he was engaged with someone else. There was an intimacy to it that should have been reserved for those living in matrimony. The cold realization that she would have a similar arrangement with Kurosaki swept over him. He didn't like that one bit. "Do you have a place to stay until you return to the world of the living?"

"I beg your pardon?" she asked.

"Do you have housing arrangements? I spoke with Unohana-taicho before I came here, and she said that she was going to discharge the twins either today or tomorrow. Though she would not object to your presence here, it is customary for the family of the injured to leave the hospital after their loved ones have healed sufficiently. You cannot go back to the world of the living until it has been determined that you are safe. You also need to give Kurosaki's body enough time to heal so that the human doctors can treat him to perfect health."

"I didn't think of that," Hisana admitted.

"You are more than welcome to stay at my house," he told her.

She looked at him with great big eyes. Distrust was the most prominent emotion in them as well as gratitude and suspicion. "I wouldn't want to impose,"

"It would not be an imposition. You would understand that if you knew the extent of the Kuchiki estate. Besides, I am indebted to Kurosaki for saving my sister's life. She also seems to be quite taken with you, and would be angry at me if I did not extend the invite."

"That is very kind of you, Captain Kuchiki," Hisana said. "We would be very grateful. I swear, we wouldn't make a mess or take up much room. I can cook for the girls and myself."

"And Kurosaki," Byakuya added. He wasn't going to let that little rugrat out of his sight.

"Hai. Ichigo, too."

"Shall I see whenever Unohana-san will release the girls? I can wait for a little while if you would like and then escort you to the estate," he offered.

"I'm sure that you have duties to attend to."

"I would not have offered, Reiko-san, if I did not have the time to do so," he informed her stoically.

Hisana grinned at him. "I should have known." He turned to leave but the timid call of her voice stopped him. "Kuchiki-taicho?" He turned to look at her as she spoke. His mother had taught him common courtesy. "Is there anyway that I can get to the world of the living for a few hours? I need to declare Isshin officially dead, and get custody of the kids. Plus, we need clothes and stuff."

"I do not have the time to take you on such a trip today, Reiko-san," he informed her formally.

"I don't need a babysitter," she retorted. "That's my job."

It was his overwhelming control that kept him from cracking a smile at her pathetic joke. "True," he agreed, "But you will need someone to open and close the gate for you. I shall see if one of your bodyguards can escort you."

"Thank you," she said as she bowed.

"It was nothing." He bowed back. It was a good thing that no one else was in the room or else they would have been shocked by his manners. Kuchiki-taicho never acknowledged anyone unless it was another captain, or the etiquette of the noble class required it. To have him bow to a lowlife ryouka was too much to bare. He walked away, glad it was just them in the room.

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She strolled along the street with a smile on her face. It felt so good to be back home in the real world, even if it was just for a few hours. The return to normalcy was doing wonders for her skin; she could already feel it. Glancing over her shoulder, she couldn't help but sulk a little bit. If the cue-ball wasn't with her, she would have gone for a mani-pedi and a facial. Maybe even a haircut. This was her last chance at freedom before motherhood, and dammit, she was going to seize it. She looked at him again. He wore tight jeans and several shirts layered over each other. If he had hair, she would have thought he was Ichigo. Except for the stupid stick. He carried a wooden stick slung over his shoulder incase he had to 'beat the shit outta some dumbass punk'. Hisana rolled her eyes. Men. Who knew? Perhaps she could entice him to do the beauty treatments with her. He was friends with the queer looking shinigami. Perhaps he would enjoy some pampering as well.

"Hell no," he looked at her with a dark expression.

"What? You can read minds now, too?" she shot back.

Ikkaku shook his head. "No, but I know that look. Yumi gets it all the time,"

"Yumi? You mean Yumichika," she said with a looking of understanding dawning in her ugly eyes. "Awh, how sweet. You two lovers?"

"What?" Ikkaku sputtered out, "No. That's sick,"

She shrugged. "I don't think so. I'm a supporter of gay rights. I even run the marathons." She jutted her chin out defiantly. "For me, it's all about love, not gender. Most people don't agree with me, though."

"I can see why," Ikkaku muttered.

Hisana shrugged. "Whatever. I really don't want to do this," she sighed.

"Do what?'

"Fight the legal system. See Isshin's dead, rotting corpse. But I do get to go shopping. That makes it all better," she said with a gleam in her eyes.

"You are incredibly shallow," Ikkaku growled.

"I know," Sani said. "I'm okay with that."

"Then again, I suppose you can't be one hundred percent shallow because you're doin' something self-sacrificing by taken in the Kurosakis."

"I don't gotta choice. And don't think out loud. It's annoying and weird. Freak," she muttered as she sped her up pace.

"Hey!" He matched it easily. "I think I'm just gonna let you die if Aizen does attack."

"Good. You promised me the first shot at him," she reminded.

"I lied," he admitted with a smug grin.

"I know. You're a terrible liar and an even worse whisperer," she informed him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he growled furiously.

"Uhm…just what it sounds like, baka. You are just as bad Ichigo sometimes. I swear that kid doesn't have anything going on up there half the time,"

"Neh," Ikkaku grunted, "It don't surprise me,"

"Me neither. But then again, I just said that so I don't know why I felt the need to repeat it."

"Because you are just as brain dead as Ichigo is," he teased.

Hisana laughed without breaking stride. "True," she agreed. Ikkaku was surprised. Most people would have bitten his head off for that remark. Perhaps that was why the cold, heartless Kuchiki Byakuya had been in love with her: she wasn't what you expected, and she was a different person every minute of the day. It was confusing as hell, though, to judge her moods. Living with her would be a bitch. He gave Ichigo his condolences on that one.

"Where are we going first?" He switched the subject topic.

"I got a text from Okaye telling me that they want me to come identify Isshin's body at the morgue," she offered.

"Why do yah keep callin' him by his first name?" Ikkaku asked. "That don't seem very professional to me,"

"I knew him very well," she replied.

"How well?" Ikkaku pressed, intrigued at the possibilities.

"Very," she said. The word was weighted, and heavier than usual. Ikkaku grinned maniacally. As soon as they got back to the Soul Society, he was going to question Ichigo for every juicy, kinky detail. "You'll be disappointed if you do that," she added.

"What? You a mind reader now?" He threw her words back at her.

"No." She shook her head, "But I do teach horny boys for two-thirds of the year. I know that look. It wasn't like that."

Damn. "A guy could dream," he said.

"Only dream," was her answer.

He chuckled. "Good one,"

She was an incredible actress. She stood beside the corpse, shaking. She squinted down at the man who's body had been cut up and dissected without the family's consent as tears rolled down her cheeks and crashed onto the cold linoleum floor. Ikkaku mused that she might not have been acting. She did she was very close to the man. Though she had been aware of his death for twenty-four hours, that was apparently not enough time for her to process the emotions and stash them away. Instead, she chose to trail her fingers down his cheek as she nodded, babbling that it was indeed Kurosaki Isshin lying there. She signed some papers and then they let her go. She didn't stop crying as they made their way to the courthouse.

She was a fanciful creature. She invented a wondrous story about the house fire being started from burnt popcorn, and some shit bout a Christmas movie marathon--that one Ikkaku did not understand at all. She told the man who sat behind an official looking desk with his hands folded in front of him that Ichigo was being treated for severe third degree burns covering eighty-five percent of his body in Moscow-because they had such excellent burn treatments there--and that she could only stay the day in Japan. Though her aunt--who apparently lived in Russia--was with the children, she didn't trust them alone. The judge was very sympathetic, especially when Sani provided falsified medical documents--Ikkaku wondered where the hell she go those--along with information about her and her lifestyle. The old geezer nodded his head several times and said that, though the matter would need to be discussed in further depth later, Hisana could have temporary custody of the Kurosaki children and finances. He warned her to be cautious, as which point Hisana informed him that she would not be touching the Kurosaki estate. That was reserved for them. She was paying for Ichigo's treatment to boot. Ikkaku rolled his eyes at the ease of her lies. She was phenomenal.

"That was smooth," he whispered to her as they left the plush office.

She shrugged. "You just have to know who you're dealing with."

"Neh," he grunted.

"Now, it's on to shopping!" she squealed excitedly.

Ikkaku groaned. He was hoping that she would have forgotten with her many lies and tears. She, however, seemed to be an unstoppable force. Her stomach growled, causing him to chuckled. "How about we do lunch first, neh?" she offered.

"You pay," was his stipulation.

"Always," she returned. In his mind, Ikkaku thought that it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. He blanched. Holy shit, he was turning into Yumichika!

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"So, are you afraid of men or something?" he asked her casually. He then took a large bite of his hibachi chicken bowl and gave her a wide, cheeky grin.

She swallowed the edamane she had just eaten and shook her head. "No," she sounded honest. "What makes you ask me that?"

"Just curious. Heard your life's story or whatever, an-"

"So that was you hanging outside our door!" she exclaimed loudly.

"No. Yumichika was in charge of you last I night. I was watchin' your girls," boasted the bald man. He puffed out his chest and pointed at it with his pointed thumb. "And I can tell yah that they were never safer. But you," he pointed at her with his chopsticks, "You had Yumi. He's a good fighter, but he's also real quiet and sneaky like. He heard you and then he told me." He took another bite of the bowl.

"Real blabber mouth, eh?" she asked. The man across from her said nothing but he did nod, signaling for Hisana to continue. "No, I'm not scared of men. There's nothing really scary about you all. For the most part, you are a quivering mass of fat who would rather pee his pants than do something fun." There was a gleam in her eyes when she said fun. Something told Ikkaku that the woman in front of him had a very different definition of fun than most. He grinned with an insane twinge to it. Sounded like his kinda gal.

"Did he rape yah?" Ikkaku asked, having no problems about the abrasiveness of his questions that so rudely pried into her life, exposing her to the entire world. He couldn't help it, he thought with a shrug of his shoulders, he was a naturally curious and invasive person.

"No," Hisana, having been asked this question several times, was not the least offended by the casualness in his voice. If anything, she appreciated it. Most people got real quiet when they were going to whisper that 'dreaded' question. They would take her hand in what they thought was a comforting manner, and pat it while they spoke. She always got pissed off when people did that, not because of the question, but because they kept touching her. It was really gross. She didn't know where there hands had been. "I don't think that even entered his mind. It was a mugging, plain and simple. If I had just given him my purse, it would have been over and we both would have walked away fine."

"Both?" he asked.

She nodded. "I broke his nose when he grabbed my purse. Then, I tried to run, but I got caught up in the stairs. He pushed me out of anger, not malicious intent, and I fell, snapping my ankle. I could tell he felt bad about that, but you know, once you're chest deep in something like that, all you have left to get wet is your head."

"What about your knee?"

She chuckled. "That one was my fault. I used my good leg to knock his feet out from under him. He fell, and his fat ass landed on my knee, shoving it the direction is wasn't supposed to go."

"Did he ever get your purse?" Ikkaku inquired, looking sneaking a look at her knee. It looked fine to him.

"Yes and no. Ichigo showed up so I threw the purse at the man. He threw it back and ran off."

"Che," he snorted. "Weak man."

"Heavy man," she retorted. They shared a long glance and then burst out laughing. Hisana made a show of wiping a tear from her eye as she bit her lip. She laughed entirely too much, she knew. Ikkaku didn't mind. There wasn't much gaiety or frivolity in the Eleventh Division because they were big, tough men who either fight or slept. The only time there was laughter was when someone played a vulgar practical joke on another. The strong man forgot sometimes how much he enjoyed laughter.

"Why can't you dance any more?" he kept going. Hell, he didn't have anything better to do.

"The breaks made my ankle and knee weak. They couldn't handle the stress of that life so I had to quit. You wouldn't believe me, but dancing can put more stress on the body that fighting can,"

"No!" he hissed, truly aghast at the process.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I've known dancers who have had to told and arabesque for an entire dance, and by the end, they were groaning in pain. Ballet is incredibly painful. Hell, you are on the tips of your toes the entire time."

"That sounds insane," he muttered.

"It was."

"Why'd you put yourself through that hell?"

"Because I loved it as much as you love fighting. It was my passion and my dream. See, I don't hate men because they scare me, I strongly dislike men because, one: you all can't dance, and two: though it was partially…okay," she sighed, "Maybe it was mostly my fault--the point is, a man was involved and now I can't dance. That's why I hate men, so I can blame someone else."

"That's stupid." He took a swig of his water. Apparently, they didn't sell sake at restaurants until something called Happy Hour. Hisana had laughed at him when had asked why and said it was a very happy hour. Looking around, he decided to come back with Yumi to find out just how happy it could be.

"Why do you say that?" she asked with a disinterested tone in her voice that hid her true emotions. She was incredibly curious as to what another man thought about her hate of men. Only Ichigo knew, and he had to understand: he was there and he was her little brother. Him understanding was a rule.

"What if you met Mr. Right but never did anything about it because you were so dead set against men when in reality you should only hate fat men?"

She shrugged. "I am okay with living a life of celibacy. Sex never appealed much to me. And," she pointed at his shocked face with her chopsticks, "What if Mr. Right was some lard ass?"

"You don't wanna have sex?" Ikkaku yelped. Heads turned swiftly to see where the dramatic conversation between two people was going. Hisana hung her tomato red face and locked her gaze on her edamane. Ikkaku gaped at her, heedless of the stares. Like he cared about a bunch of idiotic humans that he would never see again. He was more concerned with the woman in front of him and her lack of desire for sex. He had never heard such an admission before and he was completely astounded. Who the hell didn't want to have sex? That was probably the only thing that liked more than fighting, and he liked fighting a whole damn lot. "Wh…why…why not?" he gasped with a shrill voice. His eyes were stark wide and he looked like he was going to keel over dead any second

She took pity on him and answered, though she did so in a very small voice. "I dunno," she shrugged. "I mean, I've always wondered what it would feel like, but it's not all I ever think about. I think that I could survive without sex. Tons of monks and nuns do it, so could I. I mean, it's not like I want to procreate or anything,"

"But it's sex!" he protested. "It's the most fantastic feeling ever,"

She shrugged. "I get my rushes from other things,"

"Nothing can be as good as sex," he stated firmly. She shrugged, unaffected by he declamation. Curiosity got the better of him. "Like what?" he muttered.

She flashed him a grin. "Like skiing in the Alps, surfing on the Great Reef, skydiving over the Pacific. Adrenaline is much much better than sex," she confided in him with a wide grin. What could she say? She was an adrenaline junkie in her free time. College had opened a whole new world to her eyes, a world where if she had money, the possibilities were endless. She smiled fondly as she remembered all of the places she had been with Okaye, and Hiroyusi, his lover: Berlin, London, New York, the Grand Canyon, Mt. Fiji, Mt. Everest. The list went on and on. The world tour they had taken last summer was the most fun she had ever had in her life. She did not regret any of it in a second, but she would miss it. She knew that when the kids got a little bit older, she would take them to all those places. A few years sojourn would be survivable. "You'd probably get a kick out of it," she told Ikkaku, "It's right up your alley."

"Whatever," he shrugged, not really interested in a life without sex.

"I'm full. You?" she pushed away her bowl.

"I've been finished for the past ten minutes," he informed you.

"Well then, you should have said something. C'mon,"

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Shopping was not fun, Ikkaku decided. It was pure hell. Hisana had used him as a model for Ichigo, and never before had he had to try on so many clothes. It was humiliating. It seemed to the shinigami that she was picking out enough clothing to last for a year without wearing the same thing twice. She laughed and shook her head no. She asked him if he remembered if Ichigo wore boxers or briefs; he could have died then and there and been quite happy. She thought it was briefs, but got some of both just to be safe, something you had to be with underwear. Shopping for Ichigo was nothing compared to shopping for Yuzu and Karin. Hisana squealed with just about every time she turned a corner. Ikkaku realized that he had been duped: she didn't want him to protect her or some shit, nope: she wanted him to carry stuff for her. Groaning as the pile of clothing got higher and higher, he gasped when he saw total. Hisana didn't even blink as she handed the man a credit card. She had been truthful about one thing, Ikkaku noticed. She had paid for it all with her own money.

Hisana then returned to her own home where she piled mounds of her own clothes into a suitcase with wheels. The sheer volume of shoes that she had was outrageous. "Boots, heels, or barefoot," she told him as she threw pair after pair into a suitcase. The other one was for her clothing. He had no idea the short woman was so high maintenanced. Together, they carried her clothing and the Kurosakis to Urahara Kisuke's to return to the Seireitei.

"Wait outside," she instructed Ikkaku.

"Wha'?" he grunted.

"You heard me," she said as she slid the door firmly closed. Ikkaku stared at it blankly, trying to process what had just occurred. What business could she possibly have with the ex-shinigami that he could not know about? He leaned into the door but could hear only muffled whispers.

"Reiko-san." Urahara Kisuke bowed low as he flipped out his fan.

Folding her arms across, she glared down at the man who had haunted her thoughts the entire day. He bore a semblance of familiarity, and she was going to pursue it. The more she thought of it, the more she remembered. While the details were still fuzzy, she had come up with a good opening line to get her what she wanted. "You owe me your balls, you know,"

The man hid his drastically paling face behind his thin fan. It was made of cloth, easily breakable and a poor wall of defense if she had attacked his face. "I had hoped that you had forgotten that,"

"That's not something that I'll ever forget." She grinned at the uncomfortable look on his face. "I am willing to make you a trade. I want my memories back,"

"Are you sure that that is wise, Reiko-san?" Urahara said. "Do you really want the burden of your past life to carry into this one? You have been given a second chance, and what you ask me to do would destroy that second chance. What if your old memories revealed old friends? Old family? Old love? You might be tempted to abandon the Kurosaki children in exchange for your old life. That is very selfish of you."

"No memory would ever change how I feel about Ichigo, Yuzu and Karin. I will not abandon them!" She snarled, livid that he might insinuate something so pathetic. As if she would ever forsake one family for another. Urahara obviously knew Hisana previously in her old life, and he knew that there were still people alive from it. Yes, she was selfish when she admitted that she wanted to remember who she was. If she had family, she would like to get to know them better, but she would never put them above the kids. It was impossible for her to love someone more than she loved them. "Besides," she was willing to be more vocal with another of her many reasons to get her memories back, "They tell me that I used to be a shinigami. I'm starting to remember things like kidos, but if I got my memories back, I could remember them all, and how to use them. That way, I can protect them much better from Aizen. Plus, I could teach Ichigo the shinigami ways, helping him learn faster." Yeah, she was good…she thought with confidence. She had absolutely no idea what he owed her, but she was calling it in.

"If you say so, Reiko-san," Urahara agreed. "It will take two to three days to have the procedure ready."

"I don't have two to three days. I need it now," she retorted.

"Ahh, yes, but it is complex and extraneous. We will have to be inventive to undermine the Seireitei laws undetected, and that, my dear, takes time."

"Time which I don't have. I've got an hour at most before the idiot comes barging in." Hisana looked him up and down as he gave her a slightly creepy smile. "Look, you're the kind of guy who's smart, and does whatever the hell he wants, regardless. You think you are above the law because you always get away with whatever it is you are doing. That's exactly why I'm here, talking to you. If I wanted to do this the long, drawn out way, I would have spoken with Unohana-taicho, but I don't. I want it quick and easy. I don't care what the cost is, and I don't care how many laws we are going to break. Just give me back my damn memories."

"You are very persuasive, Reiko-san. I was hoping that you would say something like that. Follow me." With a quick twist of his body, Urahara trotted off down a little hallway that Hisana had previously not noticed. She followed him silently, apprehension filling her body. She closed her eyes and hoped that she was making the right decision. She didn't want to be selfish, she really didn't. She wanted to be the perfect caregiver for the Kurosakis. They had undergone so much in their short lives, and they deserved so much better. She truly believed if she got her memories back, that she could be that strength, that support that they so desperately needed. Karin needed an older sister, while Yuzu needed a mother. Ichigo…Ichigo needed so many things: a mother, a sister, a teacher, a friend, someone who would just listen. She hoped to be all those things for the kid, and much, much more. Hisana knew that she was not the most eloquent person. She would never be able to put her thoughts into words without blubbering as she spoke. No. She was a person of action and deeds. Actions did speak louder than words.

"Lay down," he ordered her as he opened the door.

Hisana walked into a dimly lit room. There was a slightly padded futon laying in the center of the room. She saw what looked like a bowl of water and a towel as well as a syringe filled with something. Very weary, she wished suddenly that she had brought Ikkaku in with her. He was seeming more trustworthy by the second.

"When you wake up, you will start to remember," he confided in her.

"Wait," she grabbed his wrist. They both knew she was stalling as her eyes flicked around the room, looking for something to talk about. She was nervous and scared. "Where is everyone else? Didn't you have another man and two kids? And the woman?"

"I sent them away. I knew you wouldn't want them here for this," Urahara said gently.

"You said this would take two to three days to do," she accused him of lying.

He chuckled. "It does. I've had it ready for a while now. I was almost starting to think that you weren't going to come,"

"How do you know me so well?" she asked as he isolated her vein.

"You served under me in the Seireitei," he explained, injecting the toxin.

"Do they not kill people for leaving? Ichigo said they did," she commented as her eyes fluttered shut.

Urahara Kisuke gave his fukutaicho a soft smile. The woman that had helped him develop the Hougyoku fell into a deep coma, searching for her past memories. He wasn't sure if she would be able to recover them--this was potentially fatal to her, and often it damaged the subject's mind beyond repair. Only a few people had survived it. Jinta had. Ururu hadn't needed it. He closed his eyes and let the remorse sweep through him. It was possibly the second time that he had killed the woman. "Yes," he answered her question even though there was no chance of her hearing, "If you leave, you are supposed to die. That's why we all live so removed from both worlds,"

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He could take it no longer. Ikkaku barged into the shop and followed the little light that there was to a small room. The old shinigami kneeled beside a pallet where Sani lay. "What the hell did you do to her?" he yelled.

"I'm helping out an old friend." There was no mirth in his voice. Ikkaku did hear pain.

He saw the empty syringe. "What the hell did you do to her?" he yelled.

"It's a neuromuscular paralyzer with a drug that I developed to bring spiritual particles all together, and electrically shock synapses, triggering memory gain."

"How long will she be out?" he asked as held the wooden sword to Urahara's throat. It was not life threatening at all, but it gave him some security.

"Twelve hours. She'll wake up tomorrow morning, and her memories will start to return."

Ikkaku swore. "I don't have that long to get her back!"

Urahara chuckled. "You and Reiko-san are all the same. You have no time."

"Cause we don't," he snapped.

"I know. That's what the paralyzer was for. Just carry her back to the Soul Society."

"And what do I say happened to her?" he asked.

"Not my problem."

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A/N: Another chapter come and gone. It was a long one, tonight! lol! read it and i would appreciate it if you would review it. in case you are curious with all of the nicknames:

chan is karin.

kid is ichigo.

kiddo is yuzu.

hun/hon is rukia.

more will be added to the list as the story continues.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve--

She woke up with a start. Her head turned right and left. She was confused. This wasn't her room, or the one Captain Unohana had let her have. It far too fine for that. She was on a European style bed. It was dark mahogany with soft, rosy silk sheets. She was wearing her own pajamas, a floor length nightie that made her feel especially beautiful. She ran a hand through her hair. It was down. She never took her hair down unless she was alone or with family. Sliding out of the bed, she glided to the door.

The floor was cold and stone on her bare toes, increasing her speed. She reached the two gilded doors that kept her within the large room. It was a rectangular room, with her canopy at the far end of the room. There was an intricate rug on the floor, on which rested two sofas and a coffee table. On the left was a fireplace that looked like it could hold a roaring fire. She cracked open a large door. She grabbed the handle and opened it slightly. She felt like she had stepped back in time. The world was so different inside this new place than it was outside. Voices echoed down the hallway. She pulled her head back in and ran to her wardrobe. She knew it was hers when she saw all of her clothes hanging in it or folded at the bottom. She had too many shoes to even try to fit in the bottom. Pulling out a dressing gown, she wrapped it around her. Damn! She hadn't packed any slippers.

Hoping that no one would notice, she ran through her greasy hair. Ugh, she was disgusting. Looking down at her feet, Hisana felt like an idiot. She didn't feel any different. If anything, she felt like she had lost half of her memory. Her body was strangely light and airy; she felt as if she danced on the air. It was a feeling she had not had for several years

There was a knock on the door. She jumped up in surprise as two women walked in the door. One was tall and willowy with dark hair and kind eyes. The other was shorter than Hisana with dark brown hair. She looked sternly kind. Hisana smiled at them. "Good morning,"

"Good morning, Reiko-sama," they chorused with a blush. Each curtsied to her, bobbing lightly in their beautifully simple kimonos. Hisana now felt heavier than lead, and like a dork as well. She wondered if she should fumble with a curtsy or if she should just nod her head. Really, they had no reason to be so respectful to her. She was just a guest. The two women before her looked as if they were lower courtiers.

"There's no need to do that for me," Hisana rushed out. "I'm not sama to anyone. Not even Yuzu, who can really be uptight about honorifics and such." She knew that she was rambling, but she felt that something needed to fill the gaping expanse that was between them. They seemed to feel the uncomfortable silence that weighed down on them for they shifted their feet and glanced at each other, speaking with facial expressions and a deep knowledge of the other person. It was just how she was with Ichigo.

"We could never do that, Reiko-sama," the taller girl said demurely. She clasped her hands around her waist as she bowed her head. "To do so would be improper,"

"Pssh!" Hisana dismissed that with a wave of her hand. "Do I honestly look like someone who cares about propriety? Besides," she whispered mischievously, "No one is around to hear,"

"That may be true, Reiko-sama," the tall one said, "But we would never do you such a disrespect."

Hisana blinked. "Well why not?"

"Because it is improper," the short one said in a crisp tone.

"Then tell me your names so that I may address you with equal respect," Hisana challenged. She expected them to fold and let them be friends. She had never been friends with a courtier before--hell, she hadn't even known that they had existed until now.

"I am Kasumi, Reiko-sama," the tall woman introduced herself with a bow. "And this is Ayame." She motioned to the shorter of the two. Ayame also gave her a respectful bow.

By now Hisana had figured out that she was supposed to bow back. She prostrated herself at the waist, and acknowledged them. "Kasumi-sama, Ayame-sama, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh no, Lady Hisana," Kasumi rushed forward and held Hisana up. "It's not like that,"

"Then, what is it?" Hisana sighed. "I don't understand. Are you nobles or not?"

"Not, milady," Ayame answered for her companion. "We are servants in the Kuchiki household, and we are here to assist you on Kuchiki-sama's orders,"

"Rukia sent you?" Hisana blinked in surprise. That was odd. Surely the girl knew that Hisana was not completely incompetent. She was raising three kids for goodness' sake! She folded her arms and tried to give them a kind smile when she was internally upset. The girl should have known better.

"No, Reiko-sama," Kasumi said, shooting her fellow servant a warning look. "We were sent by Byakuya-sama to assist you. He was concerned when you collapsed yesterday during your outing,"

"What the--I didn't collapse yesterday," Hisana protested. She thought quickly. The last thing she remembered was Urahara injecting her with the stuff to make her memories come back. She snarled. He must have screwed her over because she didn't remember a damn thing. Another time and place, she promised herself. Back on the issue at hand, she knew that she had been in his shop for the procedure thingy. It had been just the two of them. It was probable that she had been under longer than Urahara had expected, and Ikkaku had taken her back. Byakuya had moved them to the manor while she was in the world of the living, thus explaining where she was. The bald man could not have been so macho as to tell them that she had passed out. She never once gave the impression that she was weak and helpless like that. The cue-ball bastard was going to pay.

"You are correct, according to Madarame-san. He said that you were yawning and getting sleepy when you fell over. You looked fine but he couldn't wake you up. Unohana-taicho came personally and examined you. She said it was exhaustion from the week's intensity finally catching up with you," Kasumi quickly explained. Hisana's face had been turning a boiling red rapidly, and she was supposed to look after the woman. Keeping her calm and alert would make Kuchiki-taicho pleased, so that was what Kasumi was determined to do.

Hisana groaned. Now she seemed pathetic and helpless. Great. If word of that ever got to the world of the living, they might not let her keep the kids. It felt like she couldn't win, no matter what she tried. "Tell Byakuya-san thank you for me, but I will not need assistance with anything. I am perfectly capable of handling myself and my kids,"

"We are going to have to insist, Reiko-sama," Ayame said softly as she and Kasumi shared a glance. "We have been ordered to assist you with everything: eating, bathing, watching the child-"

"Hold on!" Hisana held up a hand, silencing her. Trained to comply, they fell silent. "What do you mean, bathing?"

"It is a common thing for us to do. Many noble women have servants around them as they bathe to clean their hair or to fetch them a drink," Kasumi explained. It was the second time that she had to go over etiquette with the woman in front of her. She smiled fondly at the memory. Hisana had looked very similar to now, only she was a shy, timid thing. She kept her gaze on the floor rather than dare to meet even a servant's eye. It was amazing at the difference. "Lord Kuchiki is being very pragmatic about the whole affair," Kasumi finished with a flourish. Previously, Hisana had found Kuchiki-sama's noble ways amusing and somewhat daunting. She assumed that she would still view them in the same light.

"Like I said," Hisana said darkly, "Tell Byakuya-san that, while I appreciate his courtesy," Ayame saw her temper begin to flare, as she hissed out the last word, "He can take it and shove it up his--" Hisana stopped herself before she said pragmatic ass. That was something she could not afford to do. They were guests in his home, and as such, both he and his staff needed to be treated with respect. Letting out a calming breath, she apologized. "Forgive me. I sometimes can let my temper get the better of me."

With another calming breath, she felt most of the anger leave her body. "Thank you, but I think that I will be able to handle myself. I have for the past twenty years."

Ayame understood the woman completely, even if her companion did not. Reiko Hisana was a gentle, quiet creature at times, but she was also a very moody person. She could go from sweet and friendly to the staff to a raging volcano at her husband's overprotectiveness in an instant. She didn't care about propriety and grace. She lived by her own standards and damned anything that did not end the way she wanted it to. She was too much like her husband for her own good.

"Reiko-sama, how about we make a compromise?" Ayame offered. "You can try to do things yourself, but if you run into trouble, we shall have no problems aiding you."

Hisana pursued her lips. That was not ideal, but it was reasonable. "It's a deal," she said, holding out her hand. Ayame shook it with a firm grip, much to Kasumi's dismay.

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Ichigo walked down the mazes of hallways, confused and lost. He wanted to see Sani, and make sure she was all right, but he couldn't find his way to her room. He had asked directions from a man who looked like he had something pungent attached permanently beneath his nose, and had been directed this way. Thinking back, Ichigo was fairly sure that the man told him to go the wrong way on purpose. Cheeky bastard!

"Ichigo?" Rukia's voice called out to him. "What are you doing here?"

Ichigo turned around. There was an open door with Rukia's head sticking out of it. "Hey," he said, striding over to her, "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

She shook her head as she walked up to him. "No. I have today off,"

"I didn't know that shinigami got time off," he admitted.

"Not in the real world, but in Soul Society, of course we do. It's like any other job that I know of," she said. "What are you doing in my hallway?"

"You're hallway?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Awful big hallway for one person."

"My room is the only one on this hallway," she explained. "Nii-sama set it up that way so I could have privacy and not be hounded by my other adoptive family members," Rukia confessed with a glare. She had been adopted into the Kuchiki family fifty years ago, and she had yet to be accepted by them. They still saw her as Rukongai trash, and though they did not say that openly to her, she still heard the poorly hidden whispers and the glares. She was unwanted, and that was painfully obvious to everyone, Nii-sama included.

"I didn't know that they were such jackasses to you," Ichigo said with a glare. He always glared, but this one was much more potent. He did not like the idea of someone being mean to any of his friends. Especially had been through so much together that the very thought of it made his skin blister. It was ridiculous that they still treated her like garbage. She had proven to be an excellent shinigami, and was always so uptight about the noble culture and shit. She followed their laws to a 'T' and still, they rejected her.

She shrugged. "We really don't talk. You never really answered my question." She really didn't want to talk about that side of her life. "Why are you in my hallway?''

"Oh, I was looking for Sani. I asked some old guy for directions and he sent me here."

"Somehow, I don't think he got me confused with Hisana," Rukia admitted. Her brother was very explicit when he informed the servants who was and who was not to visit her sister. It was endearing to her that he still cared for her sister that much, even if he was positive that she was not the love of his life. "It was most likely an elder who didn't want you to go anywhere near Nii-sama. It's his day off, too."

"Whaddaya mean?" Ichigo asked, curiously. s

Rukia shrugged. "My sister was given the room closest to my brother's without going into his wing--his personal part of the estate that only he and a select staff are allowed to go in. Your sisters have room in the same hall as hers. That is a very high honor. Your room was at the end of the same hallway. You should not have had any trouble finding it,"

Now Ichigo felt like an idiot. He wanted to smack himself on the forehead, but the idea was too out of character for him. He should have thought of that, but since Byakuya had been giving him the harsh glares since they first arrived, he figured the emotionless man would not have put him near Sani. "Heh," he gave her a dumb look, "I didn't think to look there,"

"Baka," Rukia muttered under her breath.

Ichigo had no trouble hearing her and glared down at her. "Well, what would you've done? This part of the Seireitei is just as new to me as Karakura was to you,"

"I would have used common sense," she retorted.

"I did. I asked for directions," he shot back.

"Poorly," she snapped.

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled.

"Make me!"

"Fine, I will!"

"Rukia-sama," the voice of a servant interrupted their exceedingly heated argument.

Both Ichigo and Rukia turned around to look at the intrusive woman. She stood tall, almost meeting Ichigo eye for eye, glaring at the while. Everyone in the Kuchiki estate glared; it must have been a prerequisite. He did not back down from her challenge. He squared his shoulders and looked down at her. She did not seem to be intimidated, by his height, but her eyes did widened slightly when she saw Zangetsu strapped to his back. He was wearing his normal clothes. The woman must have not realized he was a shinigami. Take that, he thought with a smirk.

"Rukia-sama," Ichigo's eyebrow shot up when the one bowed low before the shinigami. She ignored Ichigo like the ryoka scum he was. "Are you all right? Is he," she shot a scathing glance at Ichigo, "bothering you?"

Rukia shot a triumphant glance at Ichigo. "He is pestering me, nothing more, Kauro-san,"

"I see, Ruki-sama," Kauro said. She glared at Ichigo. "Young man, I think it would be best if you followed me back to your quarters."

"Wha'?" Ichigo grunted.

Rukia looked at the woman, stunned. "No…no. That's not what I meant, Kauro-san."

"This way, please." Kauro said. She turned swiftly on her heel and marched down the hallway. Ichigo followed her without protest. He had heard that tone may times before with Sani. Kauro wasn't asking.

"I thought you said that they had no respect for you, here," he whispered to Rukia as he walked past her.

"I--" Rukia whispered, trying to salvage the situation. It was too late. Ichigo walked down the hallway. He was too stubborn to turn back. Her heart sink. It amazed her the last week had made her so emotional. There had been times where her heart was close to bursting with joy and then it was as if her heart was collapsing in on itself from pain. She wondered how much longer she could take it. Hopefully, just a little bit longer.

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Ise Nanao followed Yoruichi to the Hall of Records. The cat woman had spoken with her lover who had not been forthcoming with information, making Yoruichi even more suspicious that something had occurred with Hisana. She had returned to his candy shop to find the bald shinigami carrying her limp form to the Seireitei. Despite his urges that nothing had transpired, she was still suspicious. Nanao agreed with her that something had happened in the past. Since it was her best friend's integrity at stake, she was willing to take some personal time off of work to help Yoruichi find out what had happened. Her captain was more than willing to let her take the day off, and, he insisted, that she still be paid for it.

"You've worked enough over time to warrant it, Nanao-chan," he said as he gently pushed her out the door. "I'll manage one day without you looking over my shoulder."

That was how she found herself following in the ex-captain's footsteps. "What exactly are we looking for?" she asked in a clipped tone.

"Something suspicious," Yoruichi replied. Nanao gave her a disgruntled grunt. Yoruichi rolled her eyes because she was forced to elaborate. "We are going to look through Kisuke's research records for something that doesn't fit. Maybe something that he left out, or something he has reworded. But there is something there, I just know it."

"I don't know," Nanao said uncertainly. "Urahara-san always seemed like a thorough person. He probably didn't leave anything that would be distinguishable as inexplainable. We probably won't notice it."

Yoruichi shook her head. "Aizen found out about the Hougyoku," she reminded.

"And if this has nothing to do with that?" Nanao retorted.

"It is somehow connected to everything that is happening right now," said the woman confidently. Seeing Nanao's skeptical look, she added. "If it didn't, Aizen would not have made such an attempt to kill Hisana,"

"What makes you think she's involved?"

"Aizen has always known where the Kurosakis lived. It wasn't until she showed up that he felt it pertinent enough for him to reveal his advances with the Hougyoku if it meant killing her."

Nanao groaned. "That isn't good,"

"Things rarely are,"

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She felt like an idiot. Not since she was a little girl had she had help with bathing. It used to be the other way around when she helped tiny Yuzu and strong Karin bathe. But, she had not been able to figure out how to use the large tub, thus requiring the help of the servants. It was a humbling experience. Kasumi fretted over her shoulder and the little scratches that littered her body. The woman had forced Hisana to sit while she washed her hair. Ayame, not the idle sort, gave Hisana a pedicure. Hisana at a loss. It was like going to a spa, but she felt that she somehow was taking advantage of them. She thanked them often and tried to do things by herself only to be severely reprimanded.

They then dressed her. "You are having lunch with Kuchiki-sama," Ayame explained. "You and your…children," she coughed before said the world. Hisana looked at her calculatingly. Ayame continued on as if nothing had changed. Hisana relaxed. Perhaps the woman just had a frog in her throat.

"I can dress myself," Hisana told them. Kasumi was going through her wardrobe in a way that made her feel shy.

"Are these the clothes that they wear in the world of the living?" Kasumi could not help but ask. She held up a camisole. "They are so…"

"Different?" Hisana offered with a laugh. "Yeah, I know."

"What do you pair things with?" Ayame held up a miniskirt. "This does not look long enough to cover you properly."

"That depends on what you want it to cover," Hisana answered. "Here, here. Let me show you." She found herself spending an hour teaching two servants how to dress in the living world. It amused her because they would never need to use the information again.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen--

He watched her. She smiled and batted her eyes as she talked with Ichigo and the children, uncaring for all around her. It was as if there was nothing wrong in her world. She smiled at him and thanked him for his hospitality. All he could do was nod under her gentle gaze. Sensing that he was not in the mood for light conversation, she spoke with the three that were now her children. Byakuya sat at the head of the table, as always. Ichigo sat on his left, and the seat on his right was reserved for Rukia. Hisana sat opposite of him, with Yuzu beside Ichigo and Karin beside the empty seat. When Rukia joined the a few minutes later, she welcomed her warmly. All Byakuya could do was shoot her a warning glare for being rude enough to be late.

She flushed. "Sorry, Nii-sama,"

He nodded. "You are excused,"

"Thank you," she said, taking her seat.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo. He immediately averted his gaze to Yuzu who talked animated to two had struck up an odd friendship. Kon was surprisingly devoted to Yuzu, and followed her around like a shadow. Ichigo had not seen the mod soul raise a paw or yell at the quiet girl since she discovered that Kon was alive. Yuzu had agreed to not call him Bostov any more, and he protected her from the Kuchiki dogs, or at least, the one toy dog that had chased Yuzu around. Rukia said that it belonged to her aunt, but since the lady had not called her pooch off, Ichigo held a grudge against her.

"How are you doing, hon?" Hisana asked before taking a bite of the pastry.

"Fine," Rukia muttered with a flushed face. She looked at Ichigo who astutely ignored her, choosing Yuzu's company over hers. They currently spoke about the adventures she and Kon had gotten into during their twenty-four hours at the estate. Byakuya saw the girl, and even his stone-cold heart was touched. Her arms were heavily bandaged and the scars would likely linger for the rest of her life. Unohana was doing anything in her power to urge them to fade, but even with her skills, he was reluctant to think that they would be invisible. It was heartbreaking to have one so young marred in such a way.

"You don't look fine," Hisana pushed.

"Well, I am," Rukia snapped out. Her eyes widened as she realized her faux pas. She had offended her sister and her brother with her words. Byakuya could have killed her with his stare. It was one of embarrassment and anger. He would not forgive her slight as easily as he had forgiven her tardiness. He opened his mouth to harshly admonish her, but Hisana beat him to it.

She beat him to it by laughing. "I guess you are. You remind me of Ichigo, you know that?"

"What?" Rukia blinked in shock.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled in protest. "I'm not like Rukia!"

"Oh yes you are," Hisana replied. "You both are incredibly aggressive and stubborn."

"Am not!" Ichigo retorted. He heard Rukia agree with him. Take that, Sani.

"You would argue with a fence post," Sani retorted. She jabbed her finger in the air, imitating poking someone in the chest.

"No I wouldn't!" Ichigo sputtered out indignantly.

"Case and point." Hisana winked at him, gloating in her triumph. She resumed eating the brunch that she had not cooked for them. It was an odd feeling, being spoiled in such ways. Sani had to admit that it was nice to not cook for a change. She had had the Kurosakis for a week and already she was tired of the constant cooking the food and then cleaning the kitchen. At least she did not have to tackle laundry yet. She could put that off for another week or so. Start out behind and then work her way up.

Ichigo sat fuming as he tried to think of a rebuttal. Rukia was not having any better luck thinking of a retort. They sat lost, together, each one too proud to consult the other. Another way they were similar, Sani noted with great interest.

"Sani-san?" Karin spoke for the first time that day.

"Yes, Chan?" Sani turned her attention to the dark haired Kurosaki.

"You brought me a soccer ball," she muttered.

"Hai. You like football, neh?" Sani said, knowing the answer. "I thought you might like to get your Toushiro-kun and play some one-on-one."

"He's busy today being a captain," Karin muttered.

"That little squirt's a captain?" Sani raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He did save my butt the other day,"

"You were kind of pathetic," Ichigo mumbled.

Sani glared at him. "If I recall, you didn't do any better."

"That's because I didn't want to risk hitting Yuzu or Karin," he hotly retorted.

"Then that's my excuse as well,"

"It ain't no excuse! It's the truth!" Ichigo yelled. He threw his fists on the table and stood up. His face was red with anger and his eyes blazed. "Don't you dare say otherwise!"

"I never said it wasn't the truth!" Sani shot out.

"No! You just are makin' it seem like I really wasn't trying to get Yuzu and Karin back from those monsters, when in reality, it was the complete opposite. I gave it my all! What did you do?"

"I'm not saying that you didn't give it your all, Ichigo!" Sani yelled back. Propriety be damned. She stood up as well. "What I meant was, while…yeah, I might not've been much be help, but I still gave it all my all, too. Sure, I don't have your nifty shinigami powers but I fought with my heart and soul."

"You could have done something more!" Ichigo accused. "All you did was scream and jump on Ulquiorra's back."

"I was the one that told you how to take the emo bastard down! There was nothing else I could have done!"

"You could have protected them!"

"I used my body as a shield!" she screamed. "I would do it again in a heartbeat! The only other thing I could have done was die!"

"Maybe you should have!"

"Ichigo!" Rukia barked.

The world suddenly became clear. He looked around to see Karin's horrified face while Yuzu silently sobbed and suffocatingly clutched Kon to her chest. Rukia looked at him, mouth agape. She had never seen him in such a state of incontrollable rage, and it was a terrifying sight. His control of his reiatsu was long gone; it was crushing down on them, slowly and agonizingly squishing them. Only her brother seemed unaffected by the exceeding pressure. Rukia could feel his spiritual force worming its way through the cracks and holes in Ichigo's strong but poorly structured reiatsu, lifting it up off of them. She gasped for air, her chest heaving as her cheeks flushed bright. Precious oxygen flooded her system. Her violet eyes watched Yuzu open her eyes only to shake in terror as she saw her brother's palpable anger. Strong, brave Karin looked close to tears, but too proud to cry. She forced herself to watch bravely.

Hisana's eyes blazed lucently. Ichigo did not back down. His spiritual pressure briefly fluctuated, leaving Byakuya enough time to form a shield around Rukia and the twins. He would have done it for Hisana, but the reincarnation of his wife stood strong. Her own reiastu flared. Rukia's jaws dropped. She had known that her sister was a lieutenant, but she had imagined Hisana having a reiatsu similar to Ise-fukutaicho: gently strong, not some blazing inferno that made her sweat in her kimono!

"Ill keep that in mind," she hissed. The icy tone in her voice did not match the hat that hung in the air. Even Byakuya was sweating. "Now sit down and behave. We are guests in this house and you need to remember that!" Hisana sat down without another word, and resumed eating her meal.

Ichigo pushed back his chair. "I'm not hungry," he muttered darkly.

"Then kindly return to your room," Hisana responded with a menacingly soft coo. Too proud to reply, the orange haired teenager stormed off. Once he was out of earshot, Sani aplogized to Nii-sama.

"It is all right, Reiko-san. Young Kurosaki is going through a difficult time right now. Any boy would be troubled."

While her sister nodded in agreement, Rukia's violet eyes narrowed. The way Nii-sama referred to Ichigo made it seem like he was a trifle of a person: weak and useless. He most certainly was not. He was one of the most powerful and naturally talented soul reapers that she had ever met. He had gone through hell literally to save her from a fate worse than death that would end in death, and then did it all again to save Orihime. Her brother had never done that! Granted, he had invaded Hueco Mundo with the rest of the shinigami captains and saved her, fighting and destroying an arrancar in the process. The same with the bounto. She thought that she might remember another time when her brother had actively fought for someone, but she couldn't remember the details. They were all so hazy in her mind. Obviously her years as a Kuchiki were blending together. She sat in a stony silence, angry at the world, and at her brother, who always seemed to put Ichigo down.

"Sani?" Karin asked after terse minutes had passed. Her voice was quiet and timid, not a tone she was used to hearing from the girl.

"Hai, Chan?" Sani smiled sweetly at her.

"Can we play football later? I wanna try out my ball," she asked with rushed excitement.

Sani laughed. "All you have to do is ask. Like I would say no,"

"I know," Karin answered. "I just wanted to make sure,"

"Get your little Toushiro-kun, and we can have some two-on-two."

"Who would be the other person?" Yuzu asked. "I don't play soccer,"

Sani gave the girl the most adorable pout that Rukia had ever seen. "Why not?" she wined. "It'll be fun,"

"Kon-san and I can watch," Yuzu said with a firm nod of her head. "We like to watch more than we like to play,"

"I don't believe you," Sani retorted with a giggle. "I think that you just want me to convince you."

Yuzu's eyes brightened at Sani's implication. She began to giggle madly, confusing the two shinigami present. Karin glared at her sister's antics but could not stop the small smile that tugged at her lips. Yuzu had not giggled since they got the news of their father's death two days ago. Sani knew that it was asking a lot of the Kurosaki children to return to their normal lives, and she was prepared to deal with the baggage that came with it. It would most likely hit them whenever they returned to the world of the living to resume living their lives as they aught to have always been. "Sani," she laughed.

Standing up slowly, Sani grinned at her with a wild look in her eyes. Kon watched them, confused. He started screaming, however, when Yuzu dropped him on the ground and bolted from her chair. Laughing, Hisana followed her off the veranda and into the lush gardens that surrounded the Kuchiki estate. "The tickle monster is gonna get you!" she called out.

Yuzu squealed and increased her speed. She didn't want to get caught by the tickle monster. Grabbing Yuzu, Sani picked her up and spun around. Yuzu cackled like the Wicked Witch of the West, squealing with delight. Sitting on the ground, Sani kissed the top of her head tenderly and began to tickle her. The years of etiquette relentlessly pounded in her head was the only thing that kept Rukia from falling out of her seat when she saw her brother crack the tiniest of grins. She had never seen him smile!

"Whoo," Sani let a long breath as she plopped her butt down on the emerald green grass. She smiled brightly back at those with some dignity who sat at the table. Without knowing why, she winked at Byakuya and then called to Karin. "Go get your friend so we can play!"

"Hai!" Karin. She darted off, determined to relieve Toushiro of his duties for a little while. He had all the time in the world to make it up, after all.

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Byakuya did not knock on the door before he entered. It was his house and he would do as he pleased. He found Kurosaki sitting cross legged on his bed. Like the rest of the beds in the estate, it was of European style. His mother preferred them to pallets, and his father could never refuse her anything. Kurosaki glared up at him as he entered. Byakuya was far from intimidated. His glares were far more potent, and he internally smirked with satisfaction as the boy recoiled ever so slightly.

"Can I help you?" he asked dryly, turning his gaze to the book in his hands. Hisana had brought it back from the world of the living several miscellaneous items that the children might use to entertain themselves. Ichigo sputtered indignantly when she handed him a large stack of books and a binder. Summer homework: she explained.

"You are never to speak to her in such a manner again. It is unbecoming."

"Why should you care?" Ichigo snorted. "Oh right, I forgot. She's your wife."

"That is not relevant to this conversation. Reiko-san is doing an honorable thing by raising you as if you were her children. No child would show such disrespect to it's mother," he informed the boy.

"She isn't my mother," retorted Ichigo.

"She is well aware of that fact. You are well enough acquainted with her to know that. You should realize that she has been doing her best with a situation thrust upon her. You had no right to judge her as you have, concluding that she did not give a substantial amount of effort during your confrontation with the espada," Byakuya said evenly. His face remained as emotionless as ever, the same with his tone. Because Ichigo did not know better, he assumed that Byakuya did not care at all, and was being a jerk by meddling in other people's affairs.

"She doesn't love you," Ichigo shot out. He knew that Byakuya was there because he was still in love with Sani. He had every right to be, they had been married once upon a time. Yes, he was afraid that Sani might indeed leave them for Byakuya and Rukia, but that was not why he acted so. Sani knew that, and she had already forgiven him. Their argument had nothing to do with the night that Grimmjow and Ulquiorra had attacked, but Byakuya did not know that.

"I do not love her, therefore that does not matter to me," the captain replied with an aloof tone. "She is not my wife," he added, knowing how the boy would think. "Rukia does seem to think that it is her sister, and I am content to not destroy my sister's fantasies. That is why I will not allow you to demean Reiko-san so. As long as you are under my roof, you shall treat her with the respect Rukia believes she deserves. Am I clear?"

"I'll act however I want around her," Ichigo said defiantly.

"I will remove you from this house if you even think another vulgar thought about her. You should be ashamed of yourself. It was one week ago that you called her a--what was it--a shit ass shinigami, I believe. Before you make such egregious statements, I would suggest that you learn more facts. She was an incredible shinigami. If left to train, I have no illusions that her power would have far exceeded your own."

Ichigo snorted. "She doesn't look like the powerful kind,"

"Neither does Kyoraku or Ukitake, and they are the oldest and most powerful captains excluding the soutaicho in the Seireitei," Byakuya easily countered.

The boy seemed to muse over that. "Whatever." He paused. A question formed on his lips, but he appeared hesitant to ask it. "Why don't you love Sani?" he asked in a soft voice.

"She isn't my wife. She may look like her and act like her, but she lacks Hisana's memories, which where, in essence, the woman that I loved."

"She didn't have your memories whenever you first met her," Ichigo pointed out.

"True, but I did not love her when I first met her."

They fell into a silence for a little while.

"Why do ask me that?" Byakuya inquired, curious as well. "I was led to believe that you would rather Hisana not be attracted to me."

Ichigo looked out his large window. He saw Hisana sitting on the grass with Rukia. She had been playing football with Karin and Yuzu for a while before she decided to talk to Rukia. Toushiro had not been able to get away from his office to play. Now, Karin and Yuzu kicked the ball to each other, giggling like school girls. Kon tried to walk on the ball as it bounced between the two of them, but he kept slipping and getting rolled over. All four girls thought that this was hilarious. "I don't," Ichigo answered honestly. "But I do want her to be happy,"

"She will be in the world of the living," Byakuya said with a confidence that he did not feel. He was, however, adept at hiding his emotions, something that Kurosaki was not.

"And you will just let her leave?" Ichigo asked for a promise.

"I will be perfectly content to watch her walk away from Rukia and I forever," he replied.

"Good," Ichigo said with dark eyes and furrowed brows.

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Like always, the halls of Las Noches were dark with sporadic lights tossed about in thematic ways. Aizen always liked drama, and his stronghold reflected that. He sat on his throne, observing his minions as they gathered. He had spoken with Ulquiorra and Grimmjow upon their return about being overpowered by the whelp and his lieutenant. They had let the Kurosaki girl go rather than endure another battle that they most certainly could have won. Yet they had been told to return, so they had not disobeyed him, but let their objective go free. While furious about that, his anger had abated and he had formulated a new plan.

Before him in semi-circle stood his new espada in order of rank: Stark, Barragan, Halibel, Ulquiorra, Hadeko, Grimmjow, Izanami, Kimi, Ren, and Yammy. His four new creations were sights to behold. They were more powerful than his original ten, though the remaining six had been adjusted for better performance. They awaited his orders, and he would not hesitate to give them. He had thought long and hard about what he wanted to do, and this seemed to be the best thing. "As you all know," he began with a long drawl, "I sent four you into the world of the living to retrieve one person. A small, weak girl who had no real power whatsoever."

Standing in the shadows beside Kaname, Ichimaru Gin frowned at the comment. Luckily, no one could see him.

"They failed." Aizen's words cut through them. "You all have failed. But it is of little consequence. I have devised a new way for us to have her in our grasp. She knows much about the Hougyoku, and how to access its power fully. Listen closely, and I shall tell you how to infiltrate the Seireitei and bring me Reiko Hisana. I won't accept failure this time."

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How the hell had she not remembered Rukia? She was a horrible person who deserved to die. She sat shrouded in shadows, hugging herself in the corner. She felt horrible, and wanted. That was what she deserved. She sobbed loudly, but did not want anyone to walk in and force her to explain her misery. She could not force herself to admit that she had abandoned her infant sister in the middle of Inuzuri. The circumstances around, while dim, did not necessarily warrant the act. Looking back on it, Hisana could think of a dozen other ways that she could have handled it. A dozen ways she should have handled it.

There was a knock on her door. She quieted her sobbing but did not stop it. Her mood was far too dismal to stop crying. Tears clouded her vision, but she didn't care. She sniffed loudly and wiped her nose with her finger. Wincing, she hoped that whoever was knocking did not hear her. If it was someone who knew her well, then they would barge in and demand an answer that she was not up to giving.

"Sani?" Ichigio called.

Dammit. The little snot picked the worst possible time to apologize for his understandable attitude. Pulling her lepgs to her chest, she wiggled her nose. "Go away!" she yelled.

"Come on, Sani." Ichigo said through the door. "I wanna talk to you. You've never said no." Ichigo stopped to ponder the words. "What's wrong?" he asked. She had never refused to speak to him before. That was one thing about Sani that was so consistent: her love, and her willingness to show it. For her to rebuke him, something must have been off. "Sani," he called out. "I'm coming in."

The door slid open as she protested with a shriek. "No!"

It was too late. Ichigo stood in her gilded room, looking at its splendor. His brown eyes searched for her. He founded her hiding. He cried out and ran to her. "Sani! Oh my god, Sani, are you all right?"

She shook her head no and started to sob all over again. Ichigo kneeled down and scooped her up into his arms. She leaned on his chest and sobbed. Sani knew that she was not one of the girls who was even more beautiful when she cried. Her face got all blotchy and her nose ran like a waterfall. Her eyes would be swollen and bloodshot during and after it as well. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. Her salty tears stained his navy shirt, and made dampened his chest. He held her close and tried to calm her down. So far his attempts were failing.

"It's okay," he said as he gently rubbed her back. He saw her do it for Yuzu after all of her nightmares, and it had helped her. Sani was slow to respond to his ministerings, but she was slowly improving. "What happened?" he asked.

She flinched as she remembered the events of that afternoon.

_"Whoo!" she plopped down on the grass. Rukia sat there, watching her with great interest. Her violet eyes flashed with happiness. "That was fun,"_

_"You look exhausted," Rukia commented dryly. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her chin on her knees, she fixed her startling gaze on Hisana. _

_"Me?" Hisana laughed ridiculously. "Pwft! Nah. I'm not tired. Just sweaty. I sweat really easily," she confided in the girl. If Rukia was still entertaining the idea of running away and becoming Hisana's roommate, Rukia had to adjust to their ways and lifestyle. Life in the world of the living would be drastically different then at her plush estate. _

_Rukia looked down at her body. "I know what you mean," she agreed. "I sweat easy too. I mean, look at me." She held up her arms, revealing the unladylike sweat stains darkening the fabric of her heavy kimono. Rukia looked radiant in her lilac dress. It was flourished with pearl dragonflies around the bottom of the skirt and along the bell-like sleeves. Her hair had been styled by a servant that morning, so it was up off of her neck, relieving her from some of the overbearing heat that pushed down on them. It was a very warm, sweltering summer day, and the inhabitants of the Court of Pure Souls were desperate to be relieved of it. "I'm disgusting," she said with a wrinkle of her nose._

_"No are you aren't, dear," comforted Hisana. "Those things are awfully heavy. I used to sweat all the time when I wore those things." Falling on her back, she put her hands under her head and stared up at the bright blue sky. White, cottonball-like clouds dotted the sky, providing no shade from the sun bearing down on them. It was the perfect image of summer. Rukia stared at her sister in shock of her admission. Hisana appeared to not realize her admission as she closed her eyes, drifting of into a peacefully sleep. _

_She dreamed. _

_She was in the Rukongai, a particularly dirty district. It looked like the one she had visited a few days before. She looked down at her hands, and gasped from shock. It was not her that she saw, but someone identical. Instinctively, her hands grabbed her hair. It was as short as Rukia's, barely falling past her shoulders. And, it was its natural dirty black, not the pretty purple. Her entire body was caked with mud and dusted with dirt. She could feel the grittiness of it all as she rubbed her arms up and down. She fingered her clothing in disgusted interest. She donned an extremely old kimono. The sleeves were unraveling and tattered. There were several wholes in the garment, exposing her skin. In reality, Hisana would have been mortified at the exposure of her skin, but now, it seemed perfectly normal. It made her feel like she belonged. The robe was once an off white, but age had turned it to a black-brown. It was disgusting. _

_She tried to take a step forward, but her foot connected with something. Looking down, she saw a child lying in swaddling clothes. It was a baby girl with beautiful and vivid violet eyes. Hisana bent down and picked her up. She was a tiny thing, starving, just like Hisana was. Hisana bit her lip. The poor child. _

_Clutching it to her chest, Sani started off, determined to help the girl and herself. Hunger clawed at her stomach, sending painful waves throughout her abdomen. She wandered around, lost and confused, begging people for help. The people in her dreams were not as nice as they were when she met them at the market. There, they saw an opportunity to scam her. Now, she was scum and they treated her as such. They threw things as her, yelled horrible words that even she was loathe to repeat, and made obscene gestures. Twice already she had run for her life as men pursued her. She didn't even want to think what they would have done to her if she had been caught. She knew, that, to feed the both of them, she would have to steal. She brought Yuzu, Karin and Ichigo up to know that stealing was wrong and that you should never ever do it, under any circumstance. Then, she found herself oddly wondering who Yuzu, Karin and Ichigo were. In a rush, all of her memories left her. All she knew was that she was Hisana, a nameless, penniless wanderer and that the child in her arms, was her sister, Rukia, who depended on Hisana for sustenance and nurturing. _

_She started to run. She had to get out of Inuzuri to somewhere safe. Everywhere she went, she was bombarded with catcalls and lecherous looks. Despite that she had a child, the men still saw her a sexual object and that thought terrified her. Fearful for both of their safeties, Hisana's pace increased. She ran from the town until she was so far from it that she was surrounded by emptiness. She had not know that there was land beyond the Rukongai, but there obviously was. Looking back, to ensure that they were safe, Hisana gasped in despair. She had run so far away only to turn around and find that somehow, the Rukongai had followed her. Knowing that it was impossible for cities to move, she looked around to find her bearings. She was in a large park, she realized. She had from the seventy-eight district to the fortieth. She knew that wasn't possible, but she knew where she was and where she was. _

_Exhaustion swept over her. Her legs gave out as she collapsed in the mud. Rain poured down from the dark, cloudy sky. Hisana pulled Rukia close to her, trying to warm the child. The mud was excruciatingly cold, but she did not have the strength to move. Lightning flashed in the sky above. That was the last thing that Hisana remembered before darkness overtook her. _

_She woke up to an evil chuckle. Cracking one eye open, she groaned when something poked her side. There were several snickers. Her body involuntarily tensed when she realized what was about to happen. _

_"So, yer finally awake are, yah?" a deep, scratchy voice muttered into her ear. _

_The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She suppressed a shiver than ran down her spine. Anything to get them to leave her alone. _

_"We ain't fooled by yer lil' act, right there," the same man said standing up._

_Hisana peaked her eye open. She saw four shadows looming all around her. She wanted to swear and swear loudly. How the hell did she end up in situations like this? _

_"Come on," someone grunted. _

_Two hands grabbed her arms, hoisting her up off the ground. She blinked her eyes open. There was no use in feigning sleep now. Keeping her eyes closed would be a detriment to her escape. There were four men, varying in height, age and physical appearance. They were all dirty, just like her, and they all were common thugs. She knew exactly what was going to happen if she did not get away, and get away fast. They were dragging her to the wooded area of the park where they could do their unspeakable act in peace. They did not expect much of a fight from her. They all seemed to be muscled and tower over her. However, Hisana was naturally strong and she was quick. All she needed to do was wait for the opportune moment. _

_The men dropped her to the ground when they were twenty meters in the dark grove. One started for the ties of his hakama and that was when she made her move. She swiped his legs out from under him. The others watched in horror as he fell to the ground with a startled cry. They returned their attention to her just a second later, but by that time, it was too late. She was far gone. She ran as fast as she could, dodging trees, but trying to stay in a straight line. You went faster if you went straight, she remembered from her human life. She did not remember anything else but that. _

_Braking through the line of trees, Hisana ran into town. Her pace quickened even more as she dodged people now. This was the thirty-ninth district, and the difference was astronomical. Even though these people were poor, it was nothing compared to the destitution that the upper districts faced. She heard the men ranting behind her. They had the balls to follow her into the slightly better off district. That should not have surprised her, but it did. She foolishly screamed and darted into an alleyway, hoping to escape her pursuers. She had no such luck when the alley dead ended and she turned to face three furious men. _

_Achingly slow, they began to advance on her, savoring her wide eyes and terrified expression. They were monsters. One man grabbed her robe and tore it. She shrieked and clawed at his face. Her nails raked down his face, scratching him deeply. Blood flowed from the five marks. He grinned sadistically at her. Suddenly, the world spun and all three men lay on the ground, blood seeping from them. She couldn't tell if they were unconscious or dead. She didn't care. There was a grunt of pain behind her. _

_Then, she remembered. Rukia! She had left her baby sister lying in the mud to die of hypothermia. Hisana ran back to where Rukia lay. She screamed when she saw the fourth man holding Rukia hostage. A feral grin spread across his marred face as he saw her fear. The monster fed on it. He winked and was gone. Hisana collapsed to the ground, sobbing. She had abandoned her sister, and now, Rukia was going to die by that bastard's hands. She heard a groan behind her. She turned to see what it was, but was woken up from that nightmare. _

_"Sorry, Sani!" Karin said as she ran over. Hisana looked around wildly, confused by her nightmare. She remembered that she was in the Kuchiki garden, and she was Reiko Hisana. This was her world, not that nightmare. It slowly ebbed into her conscious that it had been her life…her life before she had died. That was a memory. Rukia was her sister…Rukia was the sister who Hisana abandoned to save herself. Karin picked the ball up and ran back over to her twin…her sister. Hisana felt like the worst person in the world. Quickly excusing herself, she ran to her room where Ichigo had found her thirty minutes later. _

"I should've just lain there!" she sobbed into Ichigo's chest. "They wouldn't've killed me! They didn't care enough to do that! I should have just taken it! I should have taken it!"

"What Sani? Taken what? What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked. He was utterly confused. Sani had never lost it like this before, and he was already awkward enough around girls. "You're not making any sense."

"Rukia," she whispered harshly.

"Rukia?" Ichigo tensed and tightened his hold on the girl in his arms. "What are you talking about?"

Hisana sprang to her knees, and threw her arms around Ichigo's neck. "Don't let me ever leave you!" she cried. "I won't! I won't abandon anyone else! Never again! I promise, Ichigo! I won't ever abandon you! I won't be weak or selfish or stupid again! I promise, Ichigo! I promise," she started sobbing all over again.

Ichigo clutched Hisana tight to him, trying his best to comfort her. However, his heart was beating a million miles a minute. His worst fear was slowly starting to come true. If Sani had remembered Rukia, how long would it be until she remembered Byakuya?

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A/N: I'm sorry that it has been so long between updates. I've got a ton of school work to do; you wouldn't believe it. Between that, and track practice, writing has just been a nightmare, not to mention that this chapter was especially difficult to write. I think that I am semi-pleased with how it turned out. Hopefully the next on will be better. I hope to have that one posted on Sunday. I would have said Saturday, but that is my first track meet this season. Wish me luck! And, I know that Sani's dream was disjointed. I did that on purpose. She only remembered parts of what happened, if you get my drift…Guess who she forgot was a part of that little escapade?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Warning, lemon at the end of the chapter. Bug, (my sister) don't read that part.

Chapter Fourteen-

Dinner was a very tense affair. Ichigo looked at his plate with a place face; every time Rukia caught his eyes, he would flush brightly. Karin looked bored, but watched her brother and Rukia interact. Kon tried to amuse Yuzu, and though the girl was entertained, her gaze kept drifting to Sani's empty seat. It was uncomfortable without their new mother. Byakuya could not bare to tear his eyes from her empty seat. Having her presence in the morning brought a sense of normalcy that had been painfully absent. He ate little that meal, something everyone but his observant lieutenant failed to notice.

Renji had dropped off some paperwork that Kuchiki-taicho requested, and stayed for dinner at Rukia's request. He had not believed her when she said that only she, Byakuya, and the Kurosakis dined on the verandah. Normally, the elders and extraneous members of the clan dined with the immediate Kuchiki family, reveling in the presence of the head of the clan. Apparently, they were too ashamed of Captain Kuchiki's courtesy to the ryoka. Not one of them had yet to lay eyes on the Captain's reincarnated wife. Renji hoped to get a look at her during dinner.

"Hey, Rukia." Renji leaned over to whisper to the girl. "What's wrong with your brother?"

Rukia immediately looked to Byakuya. Worry was in her eyes. "Nii-sama?" Sure enough, Byakuya stared off into space, a blank expression on his face. Though his expression had yet to change, he did not look like Kuchiki Byakuya should. In face, he looked quiet unwell. "Oh, Nii-sama," she breathed out. Rukia did not like to see her brother suffer. Though he could be cold and uncaring, Rukia still loved him. His pain was her pain.

"Why's he lookin' at a chair?" Renji asked.

Rukia followed her brother's gaze. It was unwaveringly locked on where Hisana sat several hours earlier. Her heart lurched in her chest. His missed her.

"Ichigo," she said, curtly, interrupting his conversation with Karin. He had been ignoring her all evening, but she had had enough. She wanted answers and she wanted them now!s

Ichigo grunted ungainly as he glanced over at her. "What?"

"Where is Sani-san?"

He paled visibly. Rukia asked the one question he did not want to answer. They all knew it. Only Byakuya was too preoccupied to pay attention to the conversation. Rukia was unsure if she wanted to know what had his mind so completely transfixed on Hisana. Ichigo looked around, trying to find a way out. They all waited for him expectantly. Renji twitched, ready to pounce on his friend of Ichigo made a break for it. He could always flash step to catch him as well, even though his captain had forbid the use of it in his house. The astute captain was out of sorts, at the moment, and Renji was willing to take advantage of that.

"She wasn't hungry," he replied. Which was the complete truth; Sani said she was never hungry after she cried, making him wonder how often she cried. He had never seen a tear fall from her eyes before unless it was one of happiness, and even those were rare. Sani wasn't a crier. As long as Rukia didn't ask why Sani wasn't hungry, he would be okay. He didn't have a good lie for that question.

"Does she often skip meals?" Rukia furrowed her eyebrows at the thought of her sister's unhealthy eating habits.

"No," Karin interjected. Ichigo glared at her as Rukia looked at him suspiciously.

"Why isn't she hungry, Ichigo?"

He shrugged. "She didn't say,"

Rukia stood up from the table. Ichigo looked up, alarmed. "I'm going to bring her a plate."

"No!" Ichigo cried standing up. Everyone looked at him, shocked at his outburst. Even Byakuya managed to focus on something besides Hisana's absence. "She…she doesn't want to see you right now," Ichigo admitted. He closed his eyes when he heard Rukia's surprise gasp. He did not want to see the hurt on her face. It was amazing how much she looked like Sani. Trying to soften the blow, he added. "She doesn't want to see anyone right now."

"Why?" Karin wrinkled her nose. "That isn't like Sani at all."

Ichigo looked furiously at his sister who was one of the few who did not cower under his gaze. It was doubtful that even Byakuya's potent stare of death would make her cower. His look told her to shut up, which she did, but she still wasn't scared. Nothing scared Karin. Except for the man with the blue hair. He was scary.

"All of you sit down." Byakuya broke the argument with his harsh order. The three--for Renji had joined them in standing as well--turned to see the abnormally quiet man glaring at them. Bashfully, they sat back down, and resumed eating. Like he previously thought, Ichigo knew that dinner was a complete and total disaster.

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He knocked on her door. Despite Kurosaki's protests that she did not want company, propriety demanded that he make sure that all of her needs had been attended to. It spoke poorly of him as a host if one of his guests was displeased with something under his roof. There was a rustling around for a moment and he heard something fall. He winced at the loud crash that must have surely broken something. Forty seconds later, the door slid open. Hisana stood before him with a polite smile on her face. She donned a dressing robe, and her beautiful hair was down around her shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asked before she could say anything. He reasoned that he had the right to know if a piece of his property was destroyed. She had always been a walking time bomb of chaotic destruction.

"Byakuya-kun," she said. "I'm fine. I fell out of the bed. Don't worry, I'm okay. I do it all the time."

He remembered. "How do you ever survive in the world of the living?"

Hisana laughed brightly. "I'm surprisingly adapt. Yeah, I know. But whatever. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to make sure that you found your lodgings acceptable," he answered crisply. "It would reflect poorly on me as a host if you did not."

Hisana flushed and titled her head so it faced the floor. "I am fine, thank you, Byakuya-kun. It is kind of you to check up on me, though."

"Think nothing of it," he answered, watching as she bit her lower lip. The heat had left her face, but she did not lift her eyes from the floor. Her eyelids were fluttering shut. Knowing she was tired, Byakuya was about to bid her good night when her stomach growled loudly. Her arched an eyebrow as the blush returned to her face full force. "You are hungry," he stated.

"I'm fine," she countered with a clipped tone.

"You can be fine and still be hungry," he returned with a masked face.

She didn't like not being able to read him. She was never particularly adept at silent conversation, or the science of reading someone's face. She forgot what that was called, but whatever. "I don't care!" She crossed her arms for effect. "My stomach digest itself for one night."

"It is selfish, then." Byakuya did not respond to the heated tone in her voice. It amused hom that she was so fiery and passionate about everything. He did not let his face show it, however. Being immovably passive was too ingrained into his mannerisms to change it now. Byakuya was not sure if he would ever return to his old self, not even for her.

Hisana blinked, surprised. Her brain had been thinking at the speed of light, trying to think up witty responses. She enjoyed the thought of being tart with Kuchiki Byakuya, though the calm man had done nothing to deserve this. She didn't have one for that. Damn. "How so?" she asked, "It's my body."

"No. Now it is the Kurosakis'. By agreeing to care for them, you an everything you own is now, at least, part theirs. They are utterly dependent on you, and you need to act as such," he told her sternly. He always loved her and her independent nature, but was also aware it was that side of her that took her from him. If she had not roamed the Rukongai, she would never have been mugged and left to rot. That was how she had gotten ill; laying there in the mud and rain had weakened her immune system. He could still see it vividly as Ukitake carried her limp body to the Fourth Division. It was the thirteenth captain, ill himself, that had found her hidden in an alleyway during his weekly patrols of the filthy city. Her eyes were glazed over and unseeing; each breath was shallow and her expression made it clear that it pained her to even think about breathing. Her face and her entire body was blue and black. Ukitake wrapped her body in his captain's haori, making Byakuya terrified to see her body. He could only imagine what had happened to her when he saw her when he saw her waist length hair had been cut to just below her chin. As Ukitake carried her past him, he had reached four her, but she hadn't recognized him.

Hisana threw her arms up in the air. "Dammit!" she cried, bringing him out of his memories. "You're right. And that really annoys me."

"I always am," he answered her as if his mind had never wandered.

"Don't piss me off even more," she warned him.

"I shall heed that," he comforted her. "Now," he offered her his arm, "Shall I escort you to the kitchen?"

Sani giggled at him. "Prick."

"Yet I see you have no trouble accepting my offer," he pointed out, looking down at their intertwined arms. Her hand fit daintily around his am, matching him perfectly. Her hands were long and pale, the hands of a noble. The etiquette of nobility that his grandmother had instilled in her over their five years of marriage were still etched into her habits. Her other hand curled up onto his arm, just below her first. She smiled up at him, and for a moment, he was transported back to the past and it was a wonderful feeling.

"I never said that I had a problem with you being a prick," she gently quipped back, tightening her grip on his arm, something that did not bother him in the least. "I just called you one,"

"That does not make much sense," he informed her.

"I don't care," she informed him. "That's just who I am,"

"I know," he said. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, so slightly that no one could see it, and since no one could tell, he was okay with it.

"Did we used to be friends before I died?" she asked her question so casually that he almost did not understand her words.

He balked. "Excuse me?"

"A lot of people have said that I used to be a shinigami before I died…I'm," she struggled to find the words. "Someone's reincarnation."

"Yes," he answered. "We were friends."

"That's why you took in Rukia," she guessed.

Byakuya stopped walking to look down at her in mild surprise. He realized that he should not have been; Hisana had always known more than she should have. "How do you know about Rukia?"

"Some one told me," she answered.

Byakuya arched an eyebrow. She was lying. "Kurosaki?" he decided to play along. "Is that why you weren't hungry? You never were after you cried." He remembered that well. She would fall into his arms, sobbing after every visit to the Rukongai, brokenhearted. He would hold her and soothe her, and try to calm her down. He tried to convince her to eat, but she was never hungry. She lost weight rapidly during those last few years of her life.

"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised.

"We were good friends," he informed her. That was somewhat of the truth. 

"And Rukia?"

"Hai. That is why I took in Rukia," he answered gravely.

"Did I ever find her?" Hisana asked him.

Byakuya debated on whether or not to lie to her. He did not want to risk breaking her heart and tell her the truth. Yet, he also did not want to put false ideas in her head that could only lead to disaster. "Yes," he lied without a second thought, "You did."

"Oh, thank goodness," Hisana said with a carefree call. "At least I did not fail that." His soul shuddered at the deception but his outer body did not show any conflict or pain. "Thank you, Byakuya-_sama,_" she told him earnestly.

"Byakuya-sama?" he replied. "Why do you suddenly address me with such respect?" Even during their marriage or before it, even when she was a lower ranking shinigami, she had never used such an honorific with his name. He found it unsettling to hear it slip so easily from her lips.  

"I use it because I am eternally grateful for you to taking her in and rearing her as your sister. I'm glad that someone I can trust is watching out for her well-being."

She might as well as stabbed him with Senbonzakura, for the pain was just the same. The woman he loved with his everything admitted to trusting him, even now, with such a knowing instinct that he wanted to confess to her everything. He did not deserve her trust. He did not treat Rukia as he treated her. He was cold, and distant with Rukia, fearing that if he got too close to her, he would loose her like he had lost Hisana. He almost had, and he had done nothing to stop it. He had failed the both of them. He should have loved her and treated her with the same tenderness that he had treated his wife with. He had not tried to save her from the obvious unjust ruling of the Council, and had to have Kurosaki save Rukia. It was plain to see that he was loosing the two most important people in his life to the half-wit substitute shinigami, a problem that he would have to rectify.

She thought that her admission had made him uncomfortable. They walked the rest of the way to the kitchens in silence.

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She was trying to focus on the task at hand, but he was proving to be too damn distracting. Nanao was reading over one of the countless files of Urahara-sama's research. Her captain envisioned a different way to spend the evening. His rough, calloused hands ran up and down her arms as he nuzzled her neck and cheek. His light beard stroked her chin, sending shivers throughout her body. She ignored him and continued to read. It was actually quite interesting. She was reading about the process of transforming a shinigami's zanpakuto into a compact, more deadly and versatile implement. He had experimented with the katana's of shinigami to see if the process had worked. The results were inconclusive because the shinigami and their zanpakuto were so deeply linked that the alterations to the sword killed the soul reapers before the metamorphosis was complete. After the deaths of two shinigami, the soutaicho had ordered Urahara-sama to quite the experimentations. Nanao was thankful that Kurosutchi had not accessed this wave of notes, otherwise the insane shinigami would have no doubtedly continued his predecessor's work.

"Nanao-chan," Shunsui whispered gruffly in her ear. He nipped at it gently, pulling on it with his teeth. She had to bite her lip to keep from groaning out loud. She did not deny that her body was responding to his touch. She fought the urge pounce on him and ride him until he couldn't walk. This was far more pressing than her want of sex. He licked her neck and she shuddered. "Like that, don't you, Nanao-chan?"

"No," she said in a strangled tone. "If you don't mind, I am trying to focus,"

"Whatever it is, it can wait," he purred into her ear. His warm breath caressed her neck, making her hair stand up on end.

She groaned. "No." She pushed away from her lover firmly. "No, it can't."

He pulled her back into his lap. She wiggled a minute, getting comfortable. Once she was settled, he put his chin in the crook of her neck. His eyes read over the small, compact script. His brows furrowed. "This isn't anything for the division," he said.

"No," she answered in a clipped tone. "It's not. This is something personal,"

"What is it?" he wrapped his arms around her waist. "It looks like something from the Twelfth Division."

"It is," she replied.

"Does Kurotsuchi-taicho know that you have it?" he asked. Nanao smiled at the alarm in his voice. It felt good to know that she was in the arms of someone who loved her and cared about her safety. His grip around her had unconsciously tightened, a sign of his devotion to her. Ten years ago, she would have doubted the sincerity in his words, but now, she knew that he was not lying.

"It isn't something he worked on," she answered. "This was a project of Urahara-sama's and Hisana-sans,"

"Hisana-chan?" Kyoraku blinked. "Nanao," he said in a firm voice, "I told you that the General was keeping us apart from her for a reason. He obviously doesn't want us messing with whatever she got in to."

"She's living with Captain Kuchiki!" Nanao cried in desperation. "If that isn't meddling, then I don't know what is!"

"Yamamoto-taicho only can control what goes on inside the Seireitei, not the Court of Pure Souls. He has no control over the nobles, and their world, and you know it, Nanao-chan," Kyoraku explained to her, even though he knew that she already knew that.

"You're from the lesser noble families," she protested. "I'm doing it for you,"

"It isn't like you to say something so illogical, Nanao-chan. That doesn't make any sense," he whispered.

"It should," she said. Tears began to form in her eyes, but Nanao was too proud to cry in front of her captain. She hadn't cried in twenty years. She didn't have a reason to cry, now. "I know," she said, turning to look at him. She wanted Shunsui to understand why she was disobeying him and the soutaicho. There was a good reason. "I know that I shouldn't be doing it, but I have to. Do you understand, Shunsui? I've always known that there was something off with Hisana's death, and now I have a chance to prove it. Please, let me."

Shunsui kissed her forehead tenderly. Pulling back, he met her lovely purple eyes, studying her face seriously. "Of course I'll let you, Nanao. I can never refuse you anything. Please, be careful. I agree that something was off with Hisana-chan's death, but I don't want you to get hurt. Promise me that if you get in over your head, or if you think something is even the slightest bit off, you'll tell me, won't you? I want to help. She was my friend, too."

Nanao kissed the man that she was starting to love forcefully. "I know," she gruffly whispered. Shunsui frowned. That was not the promise he had been looking for…

Realizing where his thoughts were going, Nanao neatly put everything back in its file and set it down on his night stand and turned back to face him. With a coy smile on her face, she slid her fingers around his neck and threaded them through his thick mane, pulling him closer. She smashed her lips against his, hungry. Reciprocating with untamed passion, Shunsui forced her down on the bed. His hands roamed all over her body, pulling at the short nightgown that she wore. Nanao allowed herself to be lost in the sensations that he created, adoring the man between her legs with her heart and soul.

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"What will you have?" Byakuya asked her as he opened the door to the kitchen.

Hisana smiled at him. "I can make myself something. I don't want to trouble you,"

"It isn't trouble to anyone," he told her firmly. "It is their job to…" His voice trailed off when he saw the clean, empty kitchen. "What the hell?" he said, forgetting that he was in the presence of someone else, especially a lady.

"Why are you surprised?" she asked, taking her hands off of his arm.

"There is no one here," he said to her, truly shocked.

"It's eleven-thirty at night. Don't tell me that you didn't realize that your staff went to their own homes for the night."

"I didn't," he answered honestly. "If I have ever requested food during the middle of the night, it was always brought promptly."

"Most likely, it was made by the person you gave your orders to. I'm surprised that you would be so unaware of the routines of your own house," Hisana told him.

"My wife always managed that, and now Rukia does," he confided in her.

Hisana blanched. "You're married?"

"No," he looked at her with soulful eyes, "Not anymore. She died…a long time ago,"

Hisana pressed her hand over her heart. "I am so sorry,"

"You didn't know." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It is all right,"

"No, it's not. And, I should be comforting you," she said. She promptly threw her arms around him and squeezed his middle tightly. Byakuya found himself wrapping his arms around her, and holding her close. He could only do it for a moment, for she did not remember and she never would. All they had was the few moments where he could forget and she could pretend.

"Hisana?" he called her name when he felt his shirt dampen. "Are you all right?"

She lifted her head and stared at him with her tear-filled, dull blue eyes. "Byakuya," she whispered his name. "I'm so sorry,"

"For what?" he asked her.

"For dying," she answered.

He blinked, confused. He had not expected an apology for that. She could not help her dying, and he told her so. "It was not your fault, Hisana." He had not realized it, but he fell into a lapse of propriety, just like he always managed to do around her. Honorifics and manners forgotten, he stroked her cheek, wi…ping away the trail of tears with his thumb. "You could not control something like that."

"I should have," she told him. "I should have just told them, and then none of it would have happened."

"Told who what?" he asked. He stared down at her intensely. Had the men who mugged her wanted information? About what, though? There was nothing of value in knowing things about the Soul Society or the noble classes. Surely she would not have been foolish enough to think otherwise.

"Do you-" Hisana stopped in mid sentence. Jerking out of his grasp, she turned her back to him and began to rummage through the cupboards. "Can I make you something to eat?" she asked.

He took a step towards her. She kept making him jump through hoops. He had no idea why she kept rapidly changing the subject. It was all rambling nonsense, not like her at all. "Hisana?" he said. He watched as her entire body started to tremble. "What's wrong, Hisana?" He asked as he took the knife from her shaking fingers. He didn't want her to use the sharp object while unstable. She could hurt herself.

"You…" she gasped out. She was beginning to sob and his heart wrenched. Even if she was missing key parts that made Hisana his beloved, he still did not like to see this new Hisana cry. "You haven't called me that in years, Byakuya."

"Of course…I…haven't…" His voice trailed off and he spun her around so that they could be face to face. "Minomawari?" he whispered in a strangled voice.

"Ha-hai, Byakuya," she whispered.

She had remembered. "Minomawari," he whispered again. Byakuya sank to the floor; his legs could no longer support him. He knew it was weak, but the thought that he might have his Hisana back was too overwhelming to comprehend. She followed him to his knees. He looked at her with wide eyes. He found himself tearing up but did not care if it showed weakness. "How can it be?"

"I got my memories back from Urahara-taicho," she whispered.

"When?" He looked around, trying to comprehend it all. His mind was processing it all at the speed of light. It was impossible.

"Yesterday," she whispered. "Byakuya forgive me-"

He silenced her by pulling her against him. She felt his tears hit her hair and she let her own fall on his haori. She held onto him tightly, sobbing as her past memories crashed over her in wave after wave. It marveled her that she somehow forgot it all. Nanao, Captain Kyoraku and Ukitake-taicho--how the hell had she forgotten that Isshin was her captain for many years of her life: her friend and mentor? It was baffling. Byakuya buried his head in her neck, and breathed in her scent, taking comfort. For the first time in fifty years, they were together again.

"Never leave me," he whispered in her ear. "Never again," She looked at him with her doe-like eyes. She saw the anguish and suffering that laced his face, and clouded his eyes. Tears threatened to fall from both of their gazes.

"Never," she promised. "I never will,"

"My Wari-chan," he said her nickname with such tenderness that Hisana sighed and then laughed gaily.

"That was always my favorite," she told him.

Byakuya cracked a rare grin at her. "Mine, too,"

Hisana blinked. "Kiss me," she ordered.

Byakuya complied. He leaned down and gently gripped her chin, tilting it upwards as her great eyes widened just enough so his lips grazed against hers, slowly deepening the kiss for he did not want her to break away. His hand left her chin with ease so that he could embrace her body by cradling her lower back, pulling her onto his lap, closer to him. Her mind was fuzzy with the heat and adrenaline that rushed through her. Gripping his hair and the back of his head, she kissed him with all of her might. She pulled away, tensing when his hands gripped her back even tighter, panting as if she had just run a marathon. Byakuya did not seem to have the problem she did with air. He continued to kiss her face, her neck, her ear, flicking his tongue gently across her exposed skin. Goosebumps rose up, making Hisana shiver.

"I love you," she whispered.

Byakuya's eyes flew open. He had not expected such a revelation so soon. "I love you, too."

She smiled. "I know. But…we do need to talk," she told him.

She had his apt attention. "About what?"

She took a deep breath, to steady herself, having already decided that it would be harder if she put it off. There would be no sugar coating her next words. "You do know, right, that I'm not the same person? I mean, I am still Hisana, I still love you, and I still have her--no, my memories. But, I have changed. Grown up, I suppose. Matured might be a better way to put it. You do understand, right? I'm not a carbon copy of the woman you married."

She hoped that she had explained it correctly. Yes, she still was who she was originally--she had always been that person, but her experiences in the world of the living had opened her eyes to new things and ideas. She would never again be the exact same person she was fifty-three years, five weeks, and four days ago. That was how long ago it was when she supposedly died, she realized.

He nodded shakily. "I know," he replied. "We both have changed drastically in the last half century."

Hisana smiled at him. "Then, I suppose that we shall have to fall in love all over again."

He grinned at her--a rare thing. "If we must," he conceded. She laughed quietly. It was the laugh that was reserved especially for him and he loved it. No one else ever heard it. She used it often within the confines of their bedroom. It was when she wanted to be quiet but she was too happy not to be. Byakuya found himself wanting to laugh. He had not heard that perfect sound in fifty years. How he had missed this woman, he thought as he swooped down to capture her lips again. Hisana moaned into the kiss, grinning like a madwoman. She was completely, totally, and utterly content. In this moment, her world was perfect.

"Come on," she said as she pulled back. "Let's go,"

"Where?" he asked.

"To bed," she whispered seductively against his ears.

Byakuya went rigid all over. He watched, entranced as Hisana stood. Her skirt clung to her hips seductively in a way that would make any man moan. She pulled her sweater down--it had been riding up her stomach, revealing more than was appropriate and not nearly enough for the captain. She turned around to walk away but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him. "I love you," he told her, before crushing his lips against hers. Hisana responded eagerly, her entire body begging for his touch.

"I love you, too," she said, pulling back a minute later. "I always have. Even when I couldn't remember. No other man even came close."

He glared when she mentioned any other man. He did not like that she might have experimented with others before. It did make him glad that she confessed that no one else was good enough. Grabbing her around the waist, two strong arms scooped her up. She bit her lip to keep from squealing. Byakuya flash stepped them to the other side of the house in an instant. She did not have to ask where they were. She knew instinctively.

"You're bedroom," she whispered as he opened the door.

"Wrong," he said closing it. He lay her down on the bed. "Our bedroom,"

Hisana laughed. "I like the sound of that even better."

She tried to kiss him, but Byakuya took just a brief moment to study her before their lips met. He wanted to make sure that this was the right thing to do, and not a mistake for both of them. It had been fifty-three years, after all. He looked at her. She was beautiful. Biting her lip, she extended her hand when she realized that he was contemplating it all. She still knew him like the back of her hand. He stared at it, surprised by the gesture, unsure how to respond. His body told him exactly how he wanted to respond, but logically, he was unsure if that was the right choice. The hope and uncertainty in her eyes cried out to him, pleading with him to not reject her. It was the look that ultimately did him in. He loved her, loved her entirety with all of his being. He wanted her and she wanted him. He cursed himself for thinking about it to much. He always over thought things, and did not act enough. That was what made people think him to be distant and uncaring, when truly, he was analytical and reserved.

Not thinking about it, he leaned forward and kissed her gruffly. She responded in kind, ready for anything. She tried to act confident; she knew what he liked and what he didn't, but she still felt unsure. This was a new body, one that was still a virgin. She was afraid that somehow, during their half-century separation, that she had forgotten the act of lovemaking. She did not want to disappoint him. Her hands threaded up through his hair, and unclipped his kenseikan with ease. She used to put it in for him, and knew exactly how to get them out quickly. She wanted to toss them aside, but did not, for she knew that they symbolized him being the head of the Kuchiki clan. Instead, she put them on the floor, and threw his captain's haori over it, with the top of his shinigami robes following. Byakuya was content to let her lead them for now. As soon as her knees hit the edge of the bed, she fell down onto it and he took control. He usually was the dominant one in bed. Tearing away from her frantic kisses, he looked down at her and smiled. Hisana was too busy with his body to pay attention to his eyes.

She was astoundingly beautiful. Her hand was deathly cold--icy as it trailed down his stomach. He shivered as her eyes widened in hopeful prospect. He locked his arms as he kneeled over her. Her hands trailed lower and lower and lower; he started to shake and shiver. He fought the urge to grab her wrists and pin them above her. They would take this at her pace, and they would enjoy the slow, lingering sensations. Agonizingly slow, she began to move her hands back up his chest. Looking at him, she smiled. Raising herself up with her stomach, she lightly kissed his chest. Byakuya groaned.

Looking shyly up at him, she waited to see his reaction. He swooped down and claimed her lips for a long, slow, lustful kiss. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she slid her hands onto his back, inadvertently pulling him closer to her. His chest hit hers, and Byakuya realized that he was half naked while she was fully dressed. That didn't seem fair. His hand slowly trailed across the coverlet and onto her shoulder. His palm wrapped around her neck, lifting her up, deepening the kiss. Her skin was burning hot now. He wondered if he would get blisters from its intensity. Slowly so as to not startle her, he moved his fingers along the collar of her sweater. She moaned when his fingers touched her pulse. Her heartbeat was erratic. He smirked.

Wasting no time, he pulled off her sweater. She gasped as the warm air hit her burning skin, cooling her. She ran her hands up his neck and intertwined them in his hair. With a grunt, she pulled him down on top of her. Every inch of her skin yearned to be touched by his. She wanted to feel him…all of him: on her, in her, everywhere. She wanted him. Moaning his name, she called to him, urging him to go on. He complied. His hand made quick work of her skirt. He kissed up and down her sweetly salty neck as she fumbled with the ties of his hakama. She groaned in frustration and whimpered. He grabbed her wrists, halting their actions. Hisana sent him a questioning glare. Her eyes widened in fascination as he undid the ties. His eyes never left her body as her breathing increased. Her chest rose up and down rapidly, as her entire body flushed pink. It was a lovely shade, and she looked angelic in it.

All that separated them was their underwear. She suddenly felt very timid. She that she was not hideous, but she could not stop the unease that she drowned in as his hands slid behind her back. For someone centuries older than her, he seemed to know his way around modern lingerie. The thought of him having been with other women terrified her. If he had others to compare her to, he would most certainly find her lacking. She squished her eyes shut whenever he pulled her bra off. She did not want to see the rejection. He drew in a sharp breath, and Hisana felt her heart break. Self-conscious, her arms snaked up around her chest, tightly locking. He could see nothing that would let him down, she vowed.

Byakuya looked down at a body that he had not seen for over fifty years. It was even more beautiful than he could have imagined. The succulent ivory skin glistened different shades in the fire and light danced across her womanly stomach in ways that would have made women green with envy. He knew that he had missed his beloved wife dearly, but was unaware of the full extent until now. His eyes landed on the still healing wounds caused by the espada. He hissed in anger. How dare anyone touch his beloved! He vowed the next person to even think an ill thought about her--even if what her own sister--he would destroy them. It did not matter. Nothing was ever going to harm his beloved again. He would not loose her.

She had heard his hiss and mistook it for disappointment. He could see the shame written clearly on her face. He wanted to curse her, smack her. How she could think herself anything but extraordinary astounded him. She was the most beautiful woman in the world, and damn it, she needed to accept that. It had taken her months to recover from her bashfulness the first time around, and though never before had lovemaking been so tender, so gentle and slow, he would burst spontaneously if he had to endure those months again.

Grasping her wrists firmly, he pulled them apart. "Don't," he whispered gruffly. "Don't ever hide yourself from me again,"

Bright blue-violet eye looked up at him. "Hai," she whispered. "Kiss me," she ordered.

He could have laughed in relief. "As my lady commands," he replied as he leaned down.

She shocked him by wrenching her wrists free. Grabbing his shoulders, she flipped them over so she was on top. With a coy smile, she kissed his face, his lips and cheeks, down his chin and over his adams apple. He groaned, and she nipped at the spot again. She wanted to remember every detail about his body, etch it in her memory. Her hands rubbed up and down his burning chest, and she moaned out of excitement. It would most certainly be a night to remember. Down down down she kissed, reveling with each sensation she created. He tried to remain calm, but his body would jerk and thrust if she hit a sensitive spot.

Absentmindedly twirling her tongue around his nipple, Sani grabbed the waistband of his underwear--she really wasn't sure what it was called--and jerked it down. She moved to kiss his stomach but gasped in surprise when she found herself on her back, staring up at a hungry man.

"That's not fair," he told her.

Grabbing his head, she pulled him down on her. "Life isn't fair," she hissed as she frantically kissed any part of him that she could reach.

He stroked between her legs, and she let out a shocked squeak. He grinned devilishly at her. "You're still sensitive there," he commented, "Even through your undergarments."

She blushed. "Only you would know that," she threw back.

He kissed her forcefully. She moaned and tried to wrap her hands around him, but he had pinned her wrists above her head. She bucked wildly and struggled, causing him to laugh at her but not release her. "Only I will ever know," he told her confidently.

Batting her eyes in an attempt to look like an idiot, she taunted in a singsong voice, "We'll see,"

Any playfulness that he had before was gone. He loomed over her, on all fours, staring down with such intensity that for a moment, she was scared. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, almost snarled.

She tried to shrug, but he had yet to release her. "Nothing. I just think it's a bit presumptuous of you to assume that my love life will end with you."

"It's not presumption," he told her as he began to kiss her neck. "It's known fact,"

Her breath hitched in her throat. "And how's that?" she gasped out.

"By the time I'm finished with you, you won't even be able to think of another man's name,"

"If you say so." She tried to sound unsure, to spur him on so to speak.

"I have never been more sure of anything in my life," he said before ripped off her panties.

Hisana squeaked in protest. She instinctively clenched her legs together and tried to shield herself. Forcefully, he yanked her arms above her head and spread her legs with his knees. "What did I tell you?" he reminded her.

"Don't…don't hide," she said through labored breath. Sweat was beginning to coat her body. She was so hot that she thought she might melt. Her body struggled to take in oxygen and her heart pumped a mile a minute, trying desperately to cool her down.

"You," he kissed her mouth, "are" he kissed her neck, "far," he kissed her quickening pulse, "too," he kissed between the valley of her breasts, "beautiful," he groaned, "to hide!"

He took her swollen nipple in his mouth, and began to suck. She moaned, and began to thrash beneath him. He grinned slightly but did not stop his assault on her body, choosing to slide a calloused hand down her stomach and between her legs. Having never been touched there before by a man, Hisana moaned and squirmed away from his touch, timid to experience the bliss caused by his experienced touch. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her firmly in place and increased the pressure of his touch. She whimpered and bucked her hips wildly, causing the cycle to repeat.

He felt her growing wet from his touch. Quickly, he slipped his middle finger inside of her. Hisana's eyes snapped open and she tried to jerk away from him, but he held her tight. She clenched around him. Slowly, she relaxed and began to moan as he increased his pace and added another finger.

"Byakuya," she moaned.

"Hisana," he whispered, licking from her navel up to her chin.

Her chest thrust upward into his face. He kissed it back down to the bed. "Byakuya," she groaned. Her head shook back and forth as pure ecstasy shot through her body. "Byakuya! Byakya! Byakuya!"

"Scream all you want," he told her, "No one will hear you."

She took him up on his advice. He added a third finger and slightly bent them. Her world exploded in a flash of white light. She heard a scream, but she was not sure what was said or who said it. Byakuya knew. Her first orgasm in fifty years rocked through her body, and she screamed his name. "BYAKUYA!" It was like music to his ears.

Hisana went limp on the bed. Byakuya lay down beside her, content to hold his beloved in his arms. He could not believe how much he loved this woman in his arms. Her breathing began to even out, and he thought that she had fallen asleep. He smiled at her ease and relaxedness. His eyes fluttered shut, and cleared his mind, ready for sleep to over come him. Two hands grabbed him and pulled. He jerked back with a moan.

"You didn't think that we were finished, did you?" Her voice was deep and husky.

Her hands went up and down his length, gently massaging him. He tried to stay still and let her do her magic, but when she started to get inventive, he could not help. Gently, her tongue flicked over his head, teasing him. Tasting him. Up and down she went, massaging what little of him she could not get in her mouth with her hands. Now he felt inexplicable pleasure. Her tongue twirled around, tickling him.

"Ugh!" he groaned. "Hisana!"

Her memories might not have fully returned, but she innately knew his body like her own. She stroked him with her fingers and inhaled. He called her name again, writhing. If she did not pull up soon, he would come. "Hisana!" he called again.

"Mhmm," she moaned, making him vibrate.

His hand snaked through her hair, holding her head in place. His hips thrust upward involuntarily, as his eyes rolled back into his head. He couldn't stop, even if he wanted to. Hisana couldn't move, so she continued to move her tongue, enjoying his appreciating noises. A drop of something sticky hit the back of her throat. She fought the urge to gag, but kept sucking. He yelled loudly, and with several gulps, Hisana swallowed it all.

They fell down together, breathing heavily. Hisana rolled over into his embrace. Both of them were exhausted; it was evident in their eyes as they gazed adoringly at each other. "That was fun," she panted it.

"It isn't over yet," he told her.

"Then by all means, continue," she teased.

He took her up on that offer. Rolling her on to her back, he parted her legs for another assault. With one thrust, he plunged deep into her. She screamed, first from the pain, and then from the pleasure. Back and forth, they rocked together, moaning and groaning in agonizing pleasure, until they could take it no more, and their beings snapped in two. They collapsed as one, in sync again after so many decades of separation.

They lay there, nothing more than a tangled mass of limbs. Hisana sighed satisfied. "I love you," she whispered.

"I know." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too."

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A/N: Well, that did not come out at all like I had planned it. It happened in my mind in a completely different way. Oh well, this one happened sooner, so I like it. I hope that you all did, too. This is my first lemon, so I hope that it was satisfactory. If not, tell me how to improve it. As for the warning at the top, I am sure that my sister reads smut and is aware of all things sexual, but I don't want to be the one on the off chance to expose her to lemons and all that stuff. That's just weird. I mean, yeah, we're sisters and all, but I don't want to do that, if you know what I mean.

Minomawari means dear possessions in Japanese. Basically, when Byakuya calls Hisana Minomawari or Wari-chan, he is calling her Mine. Just to clear that one up.

One last thing, I am thinking of doing a prequel to this story. What do you all think of that?

Lots of loves, and thanks for reading. I would appreciate reviews. Like everyone else, they make me happy and write faster.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen--

The next morning, Hisana woke up. She wasn't going to lie and say that she wasn't in any pain, because she was. There was a dull throbbing between her legs, and she knew exactly why it was there. Having a small streak of masochism in her, Hisana purred in contentment when she schooched back ever so slightly and bumped into someone rock hard. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to know who it was. That was one advantage of remaining celibate until the right man came along: she didn't have to constantly check her mind to remember who she had been with the night before. There was a pressure on her stomach. Looking down, she saw that it was Byakuya's arm keeping her tight against him. Her husband had always been a cuddler, not that she was complaining.

Hisana contemplated that thought. She and Byakuya were no longer married. The institute lasted until death do them part, and she had died. That meant that Byakuya was released from his marriage vows, and could choose anyone that he wanted. For some reason, that thought bothered her. Sure, she was sure of his love, but they had been apart for fifty years. The competition had changed drastically, and she needed to how to combat it. She would win, she assured herself; she always won.

"What's that look for?" Byakuya's asked groggily.

Hisana cleared her face of any angst. "What are you talking about?"

"You looked like you were thinking hard about something. What was it?" He groaned as he got up on one arm to look down at her. Hisana rolled over so she could stare up at him.

"I was just thinking about the competition," she said truthfully. She had no reason to lie to him. He could read her like a book, any ways, and she would never doubt his love.

"What do you mean?" he asked, truly confused. She could laugh at his naivety some times.

"I just now that you are still the sexiest guy in the whole Seireitei and Rukongai. Every woman must want a piece of you," Hisana said confidently. She had no doubt in her words. She simply spoke the truth. Her Byakuya was the hottest and the smexiest guy that she knew, and that any other woman knew. She was positive that at least that much had not change in the last half decade.

"That doesn't matter. I only love you." He didn't bother to deny her statement. He knew that it was true. He wasn't being conceited; he had been approached numerous times by various women and none of them had any appeal to him whatsoever. He compared them all to Hisana and found them all lacking in some way. Byakuya supposed it was the money and titles that drew them in flocks, not him personally. Little did he know…

"I love you, too," she said before raising up to kiss him. She felt him smirk into the kiss. He ran his tongue of her lips and she groaned.

He pulled away. "It's time for breakfast," he told her.

"I know," she panted. Her chest rose up and down as she breathed heavily. The smoldering look in his eyes was giving her butterflies in her stomach. An idea suddenly popped into her head. "I don't suppose you would want to bathe before breakfast?" she asked.

"Perhaps that would be a good idea," he told her seriously. Scooping her up, Byakuya carried her bridal style to the bathroom where the large tub was quickly filled with water.

"Will you wash my back?" Hisana asked.

Byakuya looked down at her wet form incredulously. "You actually intend to bathe?"

"Of course," she answered with a serious face. "What did you think we were going to do?" She paused to see his expression of worry. Her loud laugh was tinged with remorse, she tried to do some damage control. "I'm just kidding, Byakuya. You should knew by now that I would never turn down an opportunity for sex."

"You always were a carnal creature," he whispered seductively in her ear. His warm breath teased her cheek, heating the entire left side of her face. She bit her lip to suppress a groan.

"I can't help it," she moaned. "You're just too good to pass up." She knew that her statement would only inflate his ego, but she was all right with that. She had not praised him in fifty years, and she wanted him to feel good. He deserved that much.

"That's my line." He kissed her neck.

"Good," she groaned. Two hands slowly began to massage her shoulders with lavender soap: her favorite scent. Even after all of these years, her man still used it. The soap felt amazing as his calloused hands rolled over her bare shoulders. Moving her hair out of the way, he stopped his ministrations when he saw her back, earning a whimper of protest in the process.

"Wari-chan," he asked, trailing his finger down her spine, "What is this on your back?"

Hisana glanced back at him. "You mean the tattoo? It's proof that you don't get drunk at high altitudes in a rowdy country with four idiotic guys."

Byakuya stared at it intently, memorizing this new feature of his beloved. She had two angel wings sprouting from her pale shoulder blades, and going down to the bottom of her back. A cross ran up along her spine, spanning underneath the angel wings. At the base of the cross was the Chinese character for six, with rose vines entangled through it, and creeping up around the shaft of the cross. It was hauntingly beautiful, but it held an ominous glow, making the air in the bathroom weigh down a little heavier on the two lovers.

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She decided to explore the Seireitei, and brought her children along as well. Ichigo was their guide, and not the best guide in the world at that. "This is the Eleventh Division," Ichigo drawled. Sani noticed both his boredom and embarrassment; he was dressed in his shinigami uniform again.

"This is where you stayed before we went to the Kuchiki estate, neh?" Hisana asked him.

"Yeah." Ichigo glanced around uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his neck. Catching his eye, Hisana nodded her head. Relief evident in his eyes, he pushed them onward. "Up next is Toushiro's Division."

"Oooh…" Hisana's eyes gleamed. "It's your lover lips, Karin."

Karin blushed tomato red. "He is not!"

"What?" Ichigo yelled, suddenly angry at the midget and wanting to stay as far away from the Tenth Division as possible. "Toushiro and Karin? What the hell? She's too young!" It wasn't possible, he thought, his brotherly instincts taking control. She was too young, and the short captain was sure as hell too damn out. His hair was white! He stood, glowering at the world, and thinking of ways to kill the midget shinigami, while his family watched.

"Ichi-nii," Yuzu said.

"What a drag." Karin shook her head.

"Yeah," Sani agreed. "I know. I didn't realized he'd overreact. It was just a joke."

"You can say that again," Karin nodded her head for emphasis.

"Hey, Ichigo," a deep voice said from behind him. A large shadow fell across the orange-haired shinigami, making him freeze on the spot. He slowly looked over his shoulder with a look of pure terror on his face. He knew who the voice belonged to, but he had hoped that he was somehow mistaken. Sure enough, Zaraki Kenpachi towered behind him, a complete picture with the pink haired terror perched on his shoulder.

"He…hey, Kenpachi," Ichigo managed to squeak out.

"Been lookin' for you. Yah been here a week, stayed in my own division, even, but I haven't bumped into yah yet. You're hard to find when you wanna be." Kenpachi tilted his head to the side, and cracked his infamous grin. "That's all right; we can fix that." His thumb fingered the hilt of his sword, and a greedy look flashed in his eyes. He found himself eager for the fight.

"Yay! Ichi-chan and Ken-chan are gonna fight!" Yachiru squealed excitedly and clapped her hands. Hopping down off of Kenpachi's shoulders, she settled down on the third seat, popping her toes in excitement. Yumichika shook his head, revolted at her crudeness.

Ichigo grinned, ready for the action. His hand twitched up to Zangetsu. He needed to release some tension, and a fight with the ridiculously strong captain seemed like a good way to do so. "Bring it on," he challenged. Without a word, he yanked Zangetsu off his back, barely managing to block Kenpachi's sporadic swing.

"You've slowed down," Kenpachi said with disappointment. He looked down at Ichgio, accusing him with his tense gaze.

"Nah," Ichigo denied it. "I'm just warmin' up,"

Something hard hit his head, exploding his word into metallic stars. He stumbled backwards and then fell down to the ground. "Oh, hell no," Sani snapped. Ichigo looked up, glaring at his babysitter. "That ain't gonna happen, kid."

"Who the hell are you?" Kenpachi snapped. "This ain't you're business."

"Shut up," Sani retorted back. She shot him a disgusted look, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Go away." She rounded to yell out Ichigo any more, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

Kenpachi whipped her around to glower at her. "Do you know who you are talkin' to, woman?" he growled.

"A big oaf," she shot back. She knocked his hand off of her shoulder easily. He looked down at her, surprised that she dared to hit him. Unperturbed by his enormous size, Sani picked Ichigo off the ground, and marched him the other direction. "Now what have I told you about fighting?" she said. "It's a no. If you can't play nice with the other kids, then you can't play at all."

"Hey, lady," Kenpachi called her.

"Yes?" Hisana said in a dry tone.

"Move outta the way so I can fight the kid. He ain't yours, and you can't stop us."

"There is no way in hell that I am going to let you fight him! I don't want to have to take his ass to the hospital and explain why I have a half dead teenager on my hands. Besides, his physical body is still recovering from the fire. I don't want some fucked up kid with a crispy body and a banged up soul. So, no. He'll have to get through me first, and that ain't gonna happen." She stared up at him defiantly, daring him to challenge her. "I don't think I'll let him fight you. Go bully someone else."

"Kenny isn't a bully!" Yachiru defended her captain.

"Sure, kid." Sani winked, patronizing the pink haired girl. "You," she snapped at Ichigo. "Up." Ichigo struggled to obey, but found himself weak in his knees.

"Che," Kenpachi grunted. "If that's how you want it to be, so be it."

Sani blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You said I'd hafta fight you first. I don't mind." He grinned insanely. "Maybe you'll be some fun. You did fight that one arrancar, after all."

"Kicked his ass too," Sani informed him as took a fighting stance. Ichigo looked at the unfolding scene in alarm. He had to be wrong; Sani couldn't be seriously considering this. Sure, she could be rash as hell, but she wasn't stupid. Short, kind Sani taking on large, brutal Kenpachi was an anomaly that would only occur in an alternate universe. They were two people who, though oddly similar, were also utter opposites. Ichigo had faith in her, but knew she was about to get her butt whooped.

"You can't fight him!" Ichigo protested, staggering up to his feet. His knees were still shaky.

"Watch me," Sani shot back.

"I have to agree with Ichigo," Yumichika said. "Even if his hair clashes with everything else. Sani-chan is in no position to battle the Captain. She is still healing from those ugly bruises that brute caused."

Sani scowled at the mention of her shoulder. "It's fine. Bring it on, bucko."

Snickering wildly, Kenpachi charged. He slashed his zanpakuto and Sani ducked easily. She ran for his knees, hoping to take out his center and then slam his scarred face into the ground. Kenpachi had more battle prowess than she gave him credit for. He grabbed her pony tail and jerked it hard. She stumbled forward with a surprised squeal. Kenpachi swung his sword for her neck, hoping to decapitate her. Panic set it as Ichigo watched the blade glinted in the sunlight speeding for her neck.

"Gah!" Kenpachi grunted out. He crumbled to his knees, seeing stars.

"What the hell?" Ikkaku yelped as the captain his the ground.

"Did she just?" Yumichika gasped out.

"Yup," Ikkaku agreed.

"For such a beautiful lady, that had no class." Yumichika shook his head disparagingly.

"She does it all the time," Ichigo supplied. "Says it keeps guys on their toes."

"How vulgar." Yumichika looked returned his focus on the brawl. Though down, Zaraki Kenpachi was not out for the count at all.

With a roar of anger, he renewed his attack's vigor. He swiped his katana back and forth, chasing Hisana around the street. It would have been comical if Sani's life was not no the line. Yuzu watched with clasped hands, tears in her eyes. Karin stood with her jaw slack, awed at her new mother's tenacity and stupidity. When she watched them for her father, she was always so responsible, uptight and careful. Now, when she was their guardian, she was brash and irresponsible. It was confusing.

Sani kicked Kenpachi in the stomach. He grunted but grabbed her ankle and twisted it. She was forced to remove her foot from the ground and spin with it. She had never done anything like this and she felt like an idiot, like she was in some dumb Chinese kung fu movie. Kenpachi threw her on the ground, hard. Her head hit the head ground and the world spun. Kenpachi went in for the kill, thrusting his sword down to the center of her neck. Hisana saved her life by grabbing the zanpakuto with her palms, and compressing it with all of her strength between her hands. Her arm muscles were the only thing keeping her alive right now, so she had to give it her all.

"Stop!" a commanding voice rang out. Kenpachi did not let up his pressure, so Sani did not stop fighting. She kicked his chest, making him stutter and loose his breath. It was not enough to make him release the pressure. "Captain Zaraki!" Yamamoto yelled. "That was an order to stand down!" Reluctantly, Kenpach eased up on his zanpakuto. "What is going on?" Yamamoto demanded.

"What's it to you?" Sani shot out before the tall man could blunder his way through an explanation.

"Reiko-san, I did not address you," the soutaicho responded. "I was speaking to my subordinate." As he said this, several other people gathered around to watch them, Renji and Rukia included.

"Is my answer not good enough?" she shot back. Zaraki helped her to her feet.

"Zaraki-taicho," the General, "I will ask you again. What did I just interrupt?"

"I asked Reiko-san to show me how she fought the arrancar," Kenpachi smoothly lied, impressing Sani more than she showed. She hadn't expected him to show a degree of intelligence.

"He kicked my ass," Sani confided conversationally. "Zaraki-taicho is a lot stronger than any of them."

"I'll say," Ikkaku muttered. Not compared to Grimmjow, Ichigo thought. He did not voice this opinion, knowing full well that both Sani and Kenpachi would attack him if he said that. He liked himself the way he was, thank you very much.

"That is not what I saw," the soutaicho said gravely.

"That ain't our problem," Kenpachi growled.

"We didn't mean disrespect, sir." Hisana quickly did some damage control. "Ichigo said that Zaraki-taicho was a good friend of his, and that's why we stopped by. When he asked me to show him how I beat the espada, I thought nothing of it."

"The espada, you say?" The General raised an eyebrow at his lieutenant. "Very well," he turned on his heel and walked off. "Carry on." Slowly, the crowd dispersed, leaving the Kurosaki family and the Eleventh Division alone.

Flushing, Sani turned to look at Kenpachi. She flashed a smile at him. "Sorry about that," she said. "That got out of hand."

"Che," he grunted.

"Sani-sama!" Yuzu squealed loudly.

The girl ran to her with her arms stretched open. Sani crouched down and scooped up the girl. Yuzu cried loudly while Sani tried to soothe her. She bounced up and down like one did an infant, softly cooing to her. "I'm so sorry, Yuzu," she whispered into her ear. "It's okay, baby. Let it out, just let it all out." Reiko Hisana clutched Yuzu to her chest, cursing herself for her idiocy. Byuakuya was right: she was too rash for the Kurosaki's own good. She was so caught up in the adrenaline that she hadn't thought about anything else. She had forgotten about the Kurosakis, and their feelings. What would have happened if the lunatic captain had killed her? They would have had no one. She had to be more considerate of them. Once again, she found someone that she had to put before Byakuya. And again, she hoped that he would understand.

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A/N: I know that it's a shorty, but I just wanted to get something posted.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen--

She waited for him in his room. Her alibi was that she was taking a bath. Ichigo would never dare to disturb her while she claimed to be doing that, nor would he let anyone else. She and Byakuya had at least an hour to discuss everything. She twiddled her thumbs absentmindedly, pondering how she would tell him. She loved him so much, more than she thought she used to, but she now had a duty to the Kurosakis. This time, there was nothing stopping her from staying with them. She was not bound to Byakuya in any physical way, just emotional. Emotional was something that she could walk away from, however reluctantly. She didn't want to leave him, but she that she would have to for the sake of the kids. She loved them just as much as she loved him, just differently, a revelation in itself.

"Somehow I knew that you would be here," he said as he opened the door.

She smiled weakly at him, and he noticed it immediately. "You always know me, Byakuya-sama," she whispered.

He strode over, shrugging out of his captain's haori in the process. She frowned as he threw it on the ground. He had worked so hard during their marriage to achieve the rank, and after so many years of ceaseless labor, he had earned the high rank. She didn't like seeing him discard it so carelessly. It was worth the world to her. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he took her hands gently into his own. He studied her flushed face intently, watching for every emotion expressed on her red face. "What's wrong, Wari-chan?"

"You know that I love you, hai?" she asked.

"Of course I know that, Wari-chan. You came back to me after all of these years," he said with a frown. Byakuya was no fool. He knew exactly where this was going to go, and did not want to hear a word of it. However, it was important for Hisana to confess this verbally, so he steeled himself for the worst.

"What are we going to do about Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu?" she whispered. "I can't leave them. I just can't."

"I know, Minomawari," he answered her. He closed his eyes. The next words that left his mouth hurt him more than he wanted to admit. "Your responsibility is to them first. You must stay with them."

"So, do you understand?" she asked him. "I don't want to…no, I, mean, I do want to stay with them, but I also want to stay with you. I love you all so much, and there is no way for me to separate my feelings for you all. They are literally that intertwined."

He cupped her face gently with his palm. "It is all right, dearest. I know. I know," he repeated, trying to comfort her. He was never really any good at it. "We will be reunited eventually. Human lives are not all that long."

She had been fiddling with the hem of her shirt. When he finished, her head shot up in alarm, and her eyes widened. "What is that supposed to mean?" she cried.

"That I will let you leave me, even though you promised not to," he told her, not seeing the problem at all. "As I have stated already, your duty is to the Kurosakis, not me. You will return to the world of the living with them."

"And you sure as hell are gonna come visit me. I am not spending the rest of my life celibate, waiting for you. If I can't come to you, then you are coming to me," she retorted firmly. Her eyes dared him to refuse her, to tell her no for once. She knew that it was impossible for him to even think about refusing her something. Byakuya looked at her exasperatedly, telling her with his eyes that it would be nearly impossible for him to escape his captain duties and those of his family long enough to spend a weekend with her. Her eyes told him that she didn't give a damn, his ass was coming whether he liked it or not.

He cracked at slight grin. "If I must."

"Good," she said brightly. "Now, I've got forty-five minutes before Ichigo starts wondering how long I'm going to shower."

Byakuya gripped her head, shutting her up. Sometimes, his Minomawari talked too much.

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Grimmjow surveyed the Soul Society with contempt. It was almost too easy. No wonder Aizen had had no problems arranging his coup. Hardly anything had prevented him from entering the Seireitei. Their silly wall proved to be useless and he was undetectable. Aizen's slight grasp on the Hougyoku was slowly growing larger, and he kept altering the arrancar ever so slightly, making them stronger and more powerful. Grimmjow, for one, was sure as hell not complaining. He crouched like a tiger in a Sakura tree of the Sixth Division, waiting for the opportune moment. That was one thing Aizen had stressed: acting at the correct time. Grimmjow had a tendency to jump the gun on some things, and it had cost him an easy victory more than once. Not this time, however, he concluded as he popped his neck. His teal eyes zeroed in on the Sixth Division captain. He would wait for the right time, and nab the girl before anyone realized that he was even there. Sure, she had beat Yammy, but that wasn't saying a whole lot. He was the biggest idiot Grimmjow had ever met, and, for Grimmjow, that was saying something.

He followed the captain to his home. This was where Kurosaki was staying. Grimmojw wanted to do nothing more than gut the ignorant shinigami-wannabe and then kill his stupid sisters. That would show Kurosaki Ichigo who was really the strongest man. The fool would probably cry for the loss. Che; he was weak, and pathetic. It was amazing that Aizen considered him even a lesser threat that needed to be monitored. To Grimmjow, he was nothing more than a gnat.

Grimmjow watched as the captain entered his room and embraced the woman. His eye brows shot up. They were lovers; it was plain to see that what they did was more than fucking. The moans, and the cries, the gentle strokes, and the feather-light caresses. He got a hard on just watching them, and though he thought rape was disgusting, Grimmjow couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to hear her scream his name instead of Kuchiki's. The bastard must have put a helluva kido spell on the door to silence her. She was a loud one.

Lying on the fluffy, king-sized bed with the fireplace burning brightly, a naked Hisana lay content in the arms of her equally naked lover. The possessive arms she felt around her, the firm chest she could lay her head on, those hands, that held her close, held her tight: it felt so right. It felt so… unbelievable. Shifting slightly on her arm pillow, she let her eyes travel over her lover's body lazily. The flawless skin made golden by the glow of the fireplace that he always had burning, every curve of those taut muscles on her lover's tight torso enhanced by the shadows. She looked at his unbelievable body, smirking at the hickeys and lovebites that she had desecrated his flawless skin with. She had officially claimed him as hers, and no one was ever going to get their claws into him. Not now, after she had made sure that he had the most mind blowing sex he had had in years. If she had to leave soon, she was going to make sure that she left an impression that no one else could match.

"I love you," he whispered as he kissed her head.

"I love you, too," she yawned loudly. "I don't suppose that we could take a nap?"

"You can, dearest. I have paperwork to do," he told her regretfully.

Hisana sat up and looked down at him. His gaze immediately zeroed in on her own marked and unclothed chest. She rolled her eyes. "You still bring work home with you?" she said incredulously.

"Hai," he replied, pulling her down for a kiss. "I work at a division of neanderthals. Here is the only place where I find peace and culture."

"No, here is the only place you find someone hankering for it twenty-four seven, and ready to distract you from stupid shinigami duties," she replied, kissing him back.

"I seem to recall that you enjoyed your position within the Gotei." He flipped her over so he was dominant again.

"My my," Sani said as her gaze wandered south. "Someone's horny tonight."

Grimmjow gaped at them. There was no way that they were going to do it again! How many times had they climaxed already! He watched as the woman kissed the shingiami with a loud smack. "Work then play," she reminded him with a wink.

Reluctantly, Byakuya stood up. He looked at her with an irked smirk as he pulled on his hakamas. Hisana propped her head up on her hand, and watched him as he strode over to a desk that sat in the corner near the fire. Byakuya's room was still so large that it astounded her. There was a sitting area as well as an office area, the bathroom, a large wardrobe and then of course, the bed area. The clear sliding doors led to the balcony were open, letting the warm breeze and the lush scents of the garden flow in. She lay naked on his bed, wrapped in his expensive silk sheets, in paradise. The only thing that was missing was him. She smirked at her avarice. She needed his touch and his embrace so much that it felt like she would fall apart if he did not hold her together.

"Ugh!" she groaned as she sat up. She flushed hungrily when Byakuya glanced her way. "I'm going to take a bath," she informed him. He nodded his head, and she knew that he contemplated joining her in his large tub. It was very large and roomy as they discovered that morning, _and_ it held hot water for a long time. Using the bed sheet to form a toga around her body, she walked quietly to the balcony for a moment to look out at the garden that she had not seen for many years. She looked down at the many trees in full bloom, ripe with bright emerald leaves. He had added a pond since the last time she had been there, and a gardener had been extremely busy adding flowers left and right. It looked like she had stepped into Eden.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Yes," Byakuya answered distractedly. "It is,"

Hisana laughed at him. "You are so serious, Bya-kun." He smiled softly. She had just used his nickname that his mother had called him before her death. She and Hisana got along superbly, and it was because of her soothing presence that the elders had finally albeit reluctantly accepted Hisana as the next Lady Kuchiki. Now only Hisana was allowed to call him that, and he found that he liked it even more when she called him by the endearment.

"One of us has to be," he said. He looked up to speak to her once more, but his eyes widened in alarm. Before he could even blink, Grimmjow wrapped one arm around her waist and covered her mouth with his hands. He grinned ferally at Byakuya before flash stepping away. With an infuriated growl, Byakuya pursued the teal haired espada. He was masking his reiatsu one hundred percent, and though Grimmjow was undetectable, Hisana was far from it. In fact, she seemed to be pulsating with spiritual force, screaming at him silently, telling him where she was. He knew his wife: there was no chance in hell that she would hang limp while the espada tried to kidnap her.

He knew his wife well. Hisana struggled against Grimmjow as hard as she could, her mind raging. She had no clue what was going on or why the blue haired espada was attacking them again. Originally, it was plain that Yuzu and Karin were his targets, and she was an annoying bystander. He had no reason to abduct her: she was useless, even with her slowly recovering memories. Not all of her memories had come back: the most prominent ones had thankfully returned first, and the fillers were slower. She smacked herself mentally. Now was not the time to be thinking like that. She had to get out of the maniac's clutches. Hisana elbowed him in his gut, and tried to hit him in the moneymaker, but he held her too tightly. It was amazing that she managed to hit him at all.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the woman. It should have been obvious that escape was futile, and that she should accept her fate like a good little hostage. Memories of her during the attempt on the Kurosaki girls' lives sparked in his brain, and he knew that telling her escaspe was futile was futile. She was too damn stubborn to just lay there. No, she--like all women--had to make things difficult. It was just what women did, and it irked the hell out of the espada. Having enough of her antics, Grimmjow moved his hand from her mouth to her neck and squeezed. It only took a few seconds for her to pass out. Once she hung limp in his arms, he increased his speed. Once he cleared the Seireitei, he opened a rift to Hueco Mundo, and took his prisoner away from her friends and family.

Byakuya felt her reiatsu weaken, and increased his pace out of fear. He had to get to her before Aizen's monster took her to Hueco Mundo. If they got that far, he would not be able to pursue them. He could not open a rift between the worlds, no matter how hard he tried. The knowledge had been banned by the Soutaicho three hundred years ago after Urahara Kisuke accidentally discovered the hollow realm. There! He saw Grimmjow stop in the middle of the sky. Byakuya had not realized it but they were steadily rising higher into the sky. He pushed himself knowing that it was time for Grimmjow to open the portal. Byakuya let out a strangled scream when he saw the espada move his hand from Hisana's neck; her rigid body went slack as unconsciousness consumed her.

Grimmjow heard him. He turned around to sneer that the shinigami. He saw the penetrating fear that covered his face and the espada smirked. Kuchiki had every reason to be scared. It was anyone's guess as to what Aizen had planned for woman, but whatever it was was sure not pleasant. "Come and get her if you can," he called out his challenge to the shinigami.

Below many heads turned up. Byakuya lunged for the arrancar, trying to get to him before the rip closed. He was too far, however, and the last thing of her he saw was her hand hanging limp. Grimmjow's maniacal laugh echoed over the Seireitei, mocking Byakuya and every thing he stood for.

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Rukia knocked gently on Ichigo's door. She wanted to talk to him about the previous night. The heavy, awkward silence had been unbearable, and she didn't want to endure it again. "Ichigo?" she called out. "Are you there?"

"Yeah?" She heard him grunt. "Just gimme a second." There was the sound of a wardrobe opening and shutting. Rukia frowned when she heard several thumps and then a cry of "Dammit!" A minute or so passed. As arrogant as her brother, Rukia did not like to be kept waiting. She huffed loudly, and she folded her arms across her chest. Ichigo took his precious time, now didn't he. She settled for tapping her foot. Her sock-covered foot made little noise to convey her annoyance, however, and that only soured her mood even more. Ichigo should have known better than to keep her waiting.

Finally, the door slid open. "Finally!" She threw her arms up in the air before putting her hands on her hips. "You kept me waiting long enough."

Ichigo chose to ignore her comment. "What do you want?"

Rukia glared at him, suddenly very angry and ready to take his head off. She had never properly told him off for telling her sister to go die. She wanted to gut him with Sode no Shirayuki and then hang him in front of her division with his colon. No one spoke to her sister in such a manner and lived! "I wanted to know what the hell was wrong with you yesterday!"

Ichigo blinked. "What did I do?" He really had no idea why she was upset. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened as far as he could remember.

Rukia's face was slowly turning a dangerous shade of purple. She advanced towards him with her pointer finger extended. Her entire body began to shake in outrage. Ichigo backed up wit his hands raised up to his hest in submission. Rukia lookd murderous, and instinct told him that he wanted to be out of the reach of her zanpakuto. "What did you do? What do you mean, what did you do? Are you such an idiot that you have already forgotten?"

"I…uh…umm…" Ichigo stuttered.

"I'll tell you just what you did, you dunce," hissed Rukia. "You completely ruined breakfast, that's what. You were a complete ass to my sister, and you have shamed your parents and your sisters as well as Hisana!"

Oh, for the love of-- "Rukia," he said exasperatedly, "You've got to be kidding me--"

"Oh-hoh-hoh, no!" she ranted. "I'm not kidding you, Ichigo! Why would you think that I would be doing that? This is serious! You cannot--you will not go around my house, insulting my family! You told her that she should have died! You never ever say something like that to someone, idiot! You bastard! You pathetic low-life ryoka!"

She would have kept ranting but Ichigo cut her off. "If you're tying to make me mad, it won't work. Your sister has called me worse." Ichigo knew that he probably should not have said that to the distraught girl, but he didn't care. If she wanted a fight, he'd give her one: fight fire with fire. She looked at him with wide, pain-filled eyes. He instantly felt remorse, but refused to apologize. Two could play the haughty game.

"I wouldn't know that!" Rukia yelled.

"I didn't expect you to," he shot back. He went for the kill. "She grew up with me, not you."

"God, you're an ass!" Rukia slapped him hard across the face. "You know that right?"

He shrugged. "I learned for the best."

Rukia knew that she should have turned around and walked away after she hit him. He was an ungrateful, arrogant bastard who wasn't fit to lick the soles of her shoes. Yet still, something kept her glaring up at him. He was just being Ichigo: tough, crass and blunt. He was just being honest, and he was too level headed to spare her feelings. She supposed she had to be grateful for that in some sick, twisted way. "Let me guess, Sani?"

Ichigo cracked a wry grin. "You have no idea."

"I suppose I don't," she said dryly. However, her words did not bother as much as she thought they would.

"She can be a real bitch," Ichigo informed Rukia. Rukia blinked, shocked. Her mental portrait of Kuchiki Hisana was always evolving and changing, and Rukia was not sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. "She's also the nicest person I know if she's in the mood to be, which is actually quite common. She can be motherly and smothering, but that's only cause she cares. She's stubborn as hell, too. Basically, she's just like you will be once you have kids."

Rukia flinched. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"

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Byakuya waisted no time in acting. Panic was not an emotion he could feel at this time. He had to be logical and rational, otherwise he could fail to save Hisana. He had failed her once; he would not do it again. Flash stepping back to his room, he quickly finished dressing. Pulling his obi tight, he strapped Senbonzakura to his hip, determined to save his beloved. He pondered informing Rukia and the boy, but he decided against it. The two of them tended to complicate things, and that would only slow him down. Time was of the essence.

There was a knock on his door. Byakuya ignored it easily, having hundreds of years of experience under his belt. He walked silently to the balcony. "Kuchiki-sama?" the meek voice of a faceless servant called. "The elders instructed me to inform you that they shall dine with you, now."

He did not stop. He did not turn around. To anyone else, even other trained shinigami, it appeared as if he vanished.

"Kuchiki-sama?"

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A/N: Sorry that it took so long to get this written and posted. I'm not particularly pleased with it, but I felt like I owed it to you all to get this thing posted. Tell me if you see anything wrong. I'll go back and fix it. Thanks, Ange.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen--

"Why do you only talk about Hisana with me?" Rukia asked. She was lying on Ichigo's bed, facing the ceiling. Her hair spread around her, forming a dark halo. No light bounced off it, making it look even darker to Ichigo. He sat on the floor, reading one of the books that Sani had brought back from the real world, and she had decided to keep him company. For the last hour, he had regaled her with stories about the stupid things Hisana had done, and though Rukia was interested to know more about her estranged sister, she wanted to find out about it by herself. When she was with Ichigo, she just wanted to talk to him about things concerning them…not Hisana.

Ichigo shrugged as he looked at Rukia with owlish eyes. "I don't know," he confessed after a minute of pondering. "I guess that I thought that you would want to talk about Sani. She is your sister, after all."

Rukia nodded her head. She understood. If she found out the Renji had long lost kin, she would do everything in her power to help them reunite and reconnect. Families deserved to be together through thick and thin, no matter what. She found that she could forgive her sister's abandonment of her so easily because, some how, deep down in the crevices of her soul, Rukia had known all along about Hisana. When she was little, she would curl up in a tight ball and cry herself to sleep only to dream about an older woman with kind eyes who watched over her for so long. She used to think that the woman had been her mother, but now, it was so easy to recognize Hisana's face. It must have been hard, raising an infant in Inuzuri while fending for yourself. Hisana had abandoned Rukia, not out of neglect, but simply because she could no longer take care of her. Rukia imagined her sister leaving her on the doorstep of some respectable looking house, with a family she hoped would raise the child as her own. Rukia told herself that Hisana did what she thought was best for Rukia, and that somehow made it all okay in her mind.

"That makes sense," she agreed.

"She cares for you, you know," Ichigo informed her. "She must remember you on a subconscious level."

Rukia looked at Ichigo with renewed curiosity. "What do you mean by that?" she asked. Ichigo met her eyes, and Rukia felt her entire body shut down as her heart sped up. She could not move from his powerful stare, and she did not want to. It was too much for her to even breathe.

"I mean, she wouldn't just offer up a house to anyone, no matter how good of friends we are. There is a responsible person hidden beneath the flamboyant personality, even if it is hard to find. Taking in a stranger isn't something she would do normally; she must remember you a little bit or else she would have sent you straight back to Byakuya."

"Let's not talk about her right now," Rukia interrupted. She did not like the look that Ichigo got in his eyes whenever he spoke about Hisana. No sirree, she did not like it at all.

"Okay." Ichigo accepted the conversational topic change easily. "What do you want to talk about?"

Rukia thought fast on her feet. "I think that it is high time for you to learn how to control your spiritual pressure." That was as good as an excuse as any. He really did need to learn how to control it or else something bad would happen to him, she knew that for certain. It would be for an enemy to pinpoint his location and then attack him without warning, killing him and his family. What if his power continued to grow, surpassing every one else and those who could not withstand the intense pressure were accidently crushed to death? Rukia did not think that Ichigo could bear it if he caused a friend or a loved one's death.

Ichigo snorted in derision. "Fat chance of succeeding," was his opinion.

Rukia huffed loudly. Arms crossed over her chest, she looked down at him. "I'm serious. Your ability or lack thereof to control your reiatsu is abysmal. If you do not learn how to properly control it, you are a threat to the entire Seireitei and to your family. You are a pulsing beacon of energy right now, easily locatable for Hollows and Espada. How would you feel if your family was attacked because of your residual reiatsu and no one was there to protect them? Surely you don't expect Hisana to, do you?"

She watched him as he mulled over her words. A myriad of emotions flickered through his brown eyes, each one getting Rukia closer to her objective. He was proud, but not stupid. He knew that she only spoke the truth, and wanted to help him. Finally, he nodded. "You're right," he agreed. "I do." He surprised her with his next question. "Will you teach me?"

She hid it well, though. "I'd be offended if you asked anyone else, baka," she curtly snapped.

He picked up on her change of moods easily. Great, she was annoyed at him, again. Suddenly, having her teach him anything seemed like the last thing that he wanted her to do. "Great," he sighed. This was going to be fun.

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His dark eyes scanned the quite street, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The street was hauntingly deserted, but he did not think that that was not normal. It was the middle of the night in the human world; most people were asleep. Byakuya leapt down from his spot atop the street lamp, landing gracefully on the cement ground. His senses were heightened from intense adrenaline; something in the air hung ominously, weighing down on him in an urgent way. He wanted to get to the ex-captain's shop as quickly as possible to sort things out. If anyone knew how to get him quickly to Hueco Mundo, it was Urahara Kisuke.

It was reasonable to assume that the old shopkeeper would want to rescue his ex-lieutenant. Hisana endeared herself to everyone she met, and called for unending loyalty in return. Besides, Hisana had saved his ass on multiple occasions; he owed her. His reiatsu was tightly controlled. One slip, one release of the intense pressure would alert the banned shinigami as well as any espada or hollow that patrolled the area to his presence. For once, he did not care about his duties as a Seireitei captain.

Urahara, as omniscient as ever, stood outside the shop door, patiently waiting. His eyes met Byakuya's and the dark haired shinigami knew that the ex-captain was well aware of the events that had recently transpired. If it were anyone else, the two men stood in silence, neither sure how to broach the subject. Thankfully, it was not. Tact had never been one of Byakuya's strong points; bluntness was his preferred method of communication.

"Open the portal," he commanded. It was easy to keep the panic out of his voice. In fact, it was easy for him to hide every emotion that he felt. Not even Hisana was always able to tell what he was thinking or feeling. He looked evenly at the ex-captain, not trying to intimidate the man, but doing so nonetheless. Urahara still saw the current captain as a rival for the cat's affections, even if that was hardly the case.

"It will take time," Urahara made excuses. "I've already begun the process."

"I wasn't asking. Open it, now."

Urahara shrugged. "Can't," was his answer.

"She was your lieutenant! She worked diligently alongside you daily for almost twenty years," Byakuya protested. "When it comes to her, can't is the wrong word."

Urahara crinkled his forehead. Kuchiki did not even tried to hide the panic in his voice or the anger. He demanded that the ex-captain rush to the aide of his ex-lieutenant like he would have done had he still been a member of the Gotei Thirteen. Though he did care for the girl, in his mind Kisuke had repaid his debt to her. He had given her back the life that he stole from her. They were even.

"It's not that I won't open a rift for you, Byakuya, it is that I physically can't. These things take time. People think that I can just snap my fingers and everything is done. Things aren't that simple. These things take time. Your wife understood that, and that was why she was an ideal lieutenant. I will open it for you, but you are going to have to wait twenty-four hours."

"I don't have that kind of time! Do you have any idea what could happen to her in twenty-four hours! I refuse to stand by and do nothing while she suffers at Aizen's hands."

"All you have to do is wait twenty-four hours. This time tomorrow, you will have her back. All you have to do is be patient."

"That is something that I cannot do," he replied. "I refuse to remain idle while Aizen does who knows what to her. I refuse to do nothing. Either you open the rift now, or I will go to Kurotsuchi." He laid the ultimate threat on the table. Both men knew that Kurotsuchi was mad, and any excuse to create a rift between the two worlds was like a dream come true. For Byakuya to be willing to give him such power demonstrated better than words his willingness to do anything and everything in his power to see that Reiko-san was returned safely to him. He did not care what laws were broken, or what rules were ignored; he most certainly did not care who found out about their resumed relationship, or what they thought of it That did not matter in the least.

Urahara sighed. "I'll see what I can do,"

Byakuya nodded. "That's better."

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Grimmjow dropped the light form on the cold ground without a second thought. It landed with a hard thud, but he didn't care. He bowed jerkily to Aizen, disgust blatant on his face. The head of the hollows acknowledged him with a nod of his head, and Grimmjow knew that he was dismissed. Instead of going to his quarters, however, he took his spot in the half circle of espada that surrounded the throne room. The newly reformed ten espada stood tall, either awaiting a monologue or a formal dismissal.

Aizen looked at Reiko Hisana's almost naked body with triumph. Finally, the petite woman would submit to him. He knew that she was brilliant, despite the dull look in her eyes. The former lieutenant of the Twelfth Division had a hand in the development of the Hougyoku, and knew more of its intricacies than anyone else save Urahara. Though she had been trained by the former captain, she could still be easily broken, especially if she thought that she was protecting Kurosaki's rugrats. He had not expected her to be unconscious. He imagined her staring up at him with those dull eyes clouded with fear and trepidation. Grimmjow had obviously gotten carried away in the abduction.

"What happened, Grimmjow?" he asked in a withdrawn tone.

Grimmjow eyed the woman lying on the marble floor. Aizen had told him to fetch her expediently and stealthily, and his opinion, he had done so. Though it was not his preferred method of interaction with the Seireitei fools, it had been easy enough. He had taken his sweet time while lying in wait for her, hopefully making Aizen think twice about sending him on such a pathetic mission again. It had been degrading, almost, to walk away from his brethren on such an easy mission. He returned, successful, but never again would he lower himself in such a way. Not when someone as pathetic as Yammy could do it. Aizen had wanted to teach the teal-haired espada his place. The plan had backfired; Grimmjow was now more obstinate than ever.

The espada shrugged. "I grabbed her out from under another shinigami." Which was completely true, he thought with a feral smirk. The look on the uptight captain's face had bee priceless when he nabbed the woman. Grimmjow had always been led to believe that the captain was a stone cold, emotionless bastard who didn't give a damn about anyone else, his own sister included. The only time he failed to live up to that image was with the short female. It was poetic, in a way.

Now wasn't that interesting, Aizen Sosuke thought. If it was who he thought it was, then it was very promising indeed. If was the fool who had witnessed her capture, then he was sure to follow. The disappearance of such a renowned political figure and a powerful shinigami would cause a large commotion. Once Reiko's absence was also noted, it would be assumed that they tried to elope. The nobles would be in chaos, as would the Sixth Division and the Thirteenth. They would try to stop the man from making the biggest mistake of his life…again. No one would suspect his involvement until it was too late. He had almost a full week to pry the information out of her sweet little mouth. And, if that didn't yield satisfactory results…well, let's just say that he wasn't above coercion. Both man and woman were unusually ripe specimens for torture.

"Who was she under?" Aizen asked with more obvious interest.

Grimmjow smirked. The shinigami had taken his terminology seriously. True, she had been under the captain several times that day, but when he grabbed her, she was under his proverbial nose. It didn't matter to him; Aizen could misconstrue it however he wanted to. All that mattered was at the end of the day, Grimmjow could return to Nel--who was slowly regaining her memories, and more importantly, her love of Grimmjow's body--to wipe the memories of the soft love-making with a more brutal, animalistic fucking. "One Kuchiki Byakuya, Sixth Division Taicho."

Aizen smirked. It was sight more terrifying than Zaraki's snake-like grin. No, this one was much more intense and all together impossible to describe. Just looking at it made shivers run up Grimmjow's spine. It was utterly terrifying and repulsive. He never wanted to see it again. "Excellent." He glanced down at the prone form. "Kimi, wake her. I have some questions that only she can answer."

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Something was seriously the hell wrong in the Seiretei, Yoruichi thought to herself. The Soutaicho must have died for him to be here. She looked down at Kuchiki Byakuya's form as he leaned against Kisuke's open door. He was handsome man, no doubt about it, and though Kisuke often worried over it, she held no attraction for him. Little Byakuya-boo was fast asleep, she realized on closer inspection. Why the little whelp! First, he comes to the real world for no apparent reason, and then he has the nerve to fall asleep before she got there. Angry, she moved to smack him, but stopped when she saw the lines of worry on his face. Even when he slept, he was solemn. Almost fearfully, she lowered it to her side. Something serious had happened.

Gingerly stepping around him so as to not disturb her friend, she lightly made her way to the hidden elevator that went down the workshop. She knew that despite the late time, that was where her lover would be. She listened to the cheesy music as she rapidly descended stories deep into the underground. The door chimed open and she walked into the cluttered workroom. He sat at one of his many workbenches, up to his elbows in stack after stack of thick paper. It looked like he was going over some old blueprints, but as far as she knew, he wasn't planning to construct anything new. Either he was doing some housekeep, which was incredibly unlikely since Kisuke was the biggest pack rat she knew, or he was remodeling. He always like to do bigger and better things, especially with past inventions, Yoruichi thought with a wry grin.

He looked up to meet her eyes. His normally youthful face was deeply creased with concentration, almost to the point where he mirrored Yamamoto. Something was seriously wrong. "What happened?" she asked. She strode forward quickly and placed her hand on his shoulder. It was a totally platonic gesture, one simply designed to comfort.

Kisuke leaned his head against her forearm as he closed his heavy eyes. He was obviously exhausted, yet he carried on. His breathing turned shallow and for a moment she thought that he had fallen asleep. "Hisana…" he breathed through his nose slowly. "Hisana reincarnated."

Yoruichi nodded her purple head. "I know that, Kisuke." That didn't explain what the problem was. She figured that everyone would be ecstatic that the little prissy thing had returned to them. Byakuya still seemed to be infatuated with her, not that that bothered Yoruichi or anything.

He sighed loudly. Leaning away from her touch, he put an elbow on a stack of paper and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers in exasperation. Eyes still shut, he continued on in the same exhausted voice. "I gave her back her memories."

"I don't see a problem with that," she replied. If anything, she figured that Byakuya-boo would be thrilled to have his little wifey back. Maybe now he would stop being such an uptight prick. Yoruichi had to begrudgingly admit that the girl seemed to bring out the best in him on a regular basis. When she was around, he was almost a normal person. In fact, if she hadn't known better, she would have thought that he was just shy. She scoffed. As if.

"She was kidnapped by Aizen," Kisuke confessed.

Any mirth fell from Yoruichi's face. She looked at her long time companion's face with angst, begging him to be joking. If such a thing were true, then that only meant that Byakuya was there to…

"Kuchiki wants me to open the portal to Las Noches." Kisuke confirmed her fears without blinking an eye. He shifted in his seat so that he could face her. Brown eyes met gold and Yoruichi's heart stopped beating. He wouldn't have agreed to it, she tried to tell herself. He was too smart to do something so dumb as that. He wouldn't, she reassured herself. "I'm almost finished,"

Time froze. Her gut had been correct, as usual. He was going to do it; he was going to help Byakuya on his suicide mission. "Kisuke!" she yelled. "What the hell? You can't do that, you idiot! He could be killed!"

Kisuke blinked. He had expected many reactions from her, and anger had been one of them. However, he had expected anger over him returning Hisana's memories or over the fact that he was doing something so dangerous that could result in multiple deaths. He hadn't expected her to worry for Kuchiki. It should have been a given that the captain could take care of himself, and would manage quite well in Hueco Mundo.

The more he thought about it, the thicker the crease in his forehead grew. Why was she worried over Kuchiki? Why not him? He had known her the longest, and they had been lovers for a long, long time. If anything, she should have been concerned about him accompanying Kuchiki to the realm of Hollows to rescue Reiko. She served as his lieutenant for over a decade, after all. She worked for him longer than she had been married to Kuchiki. Yoruichi fretting over the stiff noble infuriated him to the point where he no longer wanted to help the man, Reiko-san be damned. Her well being sadly came second to Yoruichi's moodiness and if sacrificing his once upon a time lieutenant for the sake of peace was the price, he would have been tempted to do it. That is, until she made it personal. Until she brought Kuchiki into it. Now he was most certainly going to open the portal and he might accompany the stoic captain just to spite her. Yeah, he thought. That would show her who she cared about more, who she would miss more.

"He can handle himself. He is a man after all,"

"No!" She threw her hands down on the table. She glared at him, hate and anger blazing in a bright inferno in her catlike irises. "He is a fool! A _fool_!" she hissed. "He won't make it a day and you know it! He will be consumed by hollows and die a pathetic death! He'll be a snack to those beasts!"

"No, he'll mask his reiatsu and be fine. He has survived that Hollow Realm many times, Yoruichi. You know that. It isn't all that dangerous," Kisuke returned with some heat. Kuchiki was going to set up camp and live in the Hollow Realm for the next century if he had his way. He leave the bastard there forever if she didn't shut up about it.

"It's all for her! For that stupid little tramp who had the nerve to waltz back into his life after being dead for fifty years!" She screamed at him. Kisuke glanced up at the ceiling. He wouldn't be surprised if she woke up Jinta and Ururu from all the noise she was making. "You're doing it for her, too, aren't you?" She rounded on him. She bent her elbows and leaned her torso forward until their eyes were level. "What does she know Kisuke? What makes her so damn important that you would be willing to risk your life, his, mine, and everyone else's in the vicinity to bring her back? What does she know that makes her valuable to Aizen? What did you do to her to make her such a threat that Yamamoto would keep everyone from her past away from her? What makes her the little freak that she is? Why the hell did he marry a little commoner like her? Why does she garner the attention? What did you do to her?"

His brown eyes widened. So that was it, then. It wasn't that she hated Reiko Hisana, it was that Yoruichi wanted to know what was so special about her. Why she captured everyone's hearts, the ice cold captain's included, why Aizen wanted her. It disturbed her that she was an anomaly, and she couldn't figure her out. "You can't figure her out," he accused.

Yoruichi shoved back from him and rolled her eyes. "NO!" she yelled loudly and crossed her arms under her ample chest, pushing up Kisuke's favorite part of her anatomy. "Her I can figure out fine. It's you that I can't." She looked at Kisuke's wide eyes with despair. "Why won't you tell me what's been bothering you these past few days? It has something to do with Reiko-san, I know that much. Please, Kisuke," her voice dropped to a low, husky, _pleading_ tone, "Tell me."

Kisuke sighed. "She helped me create the Hougyuko," he told her regretfully. "Besides me, Hisana-chan is the one who knows the most about it and how it operates. Actually," he barked out a baleful laugh that startled Yoruichi, "She probably knows how to work it better than I do."

Yoruichi's eyebrows shot up so high that they just about touched her hairline. "What do you mean by that, Kisuke?"

Kisuke looked at her with sparkling brown eyes. They were veiled with secrets and forbidden knowledge. "Haven't you wondered why, despite the fact that she has returned to the Soul Society, why her body lays in a comatose state in the lab? You never thought it was odd that she so easily shed herself of her body even before she knew of her previous life, and did it so easily that she failed to notice that no one else did that? They all merged their souls with their bodies to get to the Seireitei, but not Hisana-chan." Kisuke had always had a flare for drama. He paused for a moment to let her think. His brown eyes held onto hers tightly, refusing for even a second to let go. She was forced to look at him as she thought; as she thought, he might as well as have read her soul.

"Tell me, Yoruichi, haven't you wondered where Daisuke is?"

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Hisana groggily came to. She blinked her eyes as they cracked open. There was very little light in the room that she was in. It must have been nighttime by now, if the lights were any indicator. Was everyone asleep, she wondered. More importantly, she thought as she sat up, where was she? Could she even get home from there? With a hand on her forehead, she lifted up the hair that fell in her face. It was always bothersome when she got bed head. Her hand brushed against the cold marble floor and she looked up with wide eyes, suddenly very aware of her attentive audience. She squeaked loudly and dropped her eyes to her knees only to realize that she was in a bedsheet, practically bare to their eyes. She did the only that any girl could do her her position: she squeaked again. Her arms flew to cover her chest and she grasped her arms tightly, ready to fight to the death before she took off the sheet. She was ready to kill anyone who tried to make her do so.

With no emotion on his face, he strode forward. His footsteps were loud, only intensified the by the echo that rang out in the empty halls. He stopped right above her, and though his head was bent, she could not see his eyes, so she had no way to gauge what he was thinking. Without a word or a glance, he dropped his haori over her shoulders. The rustle of the thick fabric was all that was heard for a short moment. She opened her mouth to thank him, but he was already back beside the man who looked like a pedophile; the fox-like grin was back in place on his face.

"Welcome to Las Noches, Reiko Hisana," the pedophile said with a courteous nod. HIsana couldn't bring herself to respond, but that didn't seem to faze him. If anything, her obstinacy spurred on his gleeful attitude. "I hope that you will enjoy your stay here. You are, after all, an honored guest."

"That just makes me day all better then," Hisana shot back. "I was worried that I might be unwelcome,"

The pedophile chuckled. He really must have been enjoying this. "You seem to have lost none of your spunk, Reiko-san."

Spunk wasn't the word Hisana would have used. Arms folded to keep the haori secure around her, glared at the ringleader of the whole shebang. "What do you want with me?" 

The man smiled a comforting smile at her. It was not scary at all save for the fact that it looked so genuine that even she would have believed that he was a nice guy. It was out of place in the room, among the arrancar, and on his face. "Tell me all you know of the Hougyoku,"

"The what?" Hisana looked at him like he was a complete idiot. Which, in her mind, he was. While, sure, the term Hougyoku sounded familiar, she figured it was another of the endless shinigami terminology that had yet to trickle back into her conscious.

The man gave her a surprised look. "You have to be joking," he said.

"No," she answered plainly. "I haven't got a clue what you are talking about."

He sighed. "The Hougyoku. You know: a little sphere like instrument that holds tremendous power,"

"Like…" Hisana tried to help him out. He wasn't being very clear. "…a weapon?"

"Exactly," he nodded his head. "Do you know of what I speak?" 

Hisana shook her head. "Not a clue. Try someone who actually is a shinigami,"

"You are one,"

"You should get your eyes checked."

"This is no time for foolish antics," he warned her.

"Then you probably should leave now,"

"Kaname," the pedophile turned. "Escort Reiko-san to her room for the night. We can begin this conversation in the morning after we all have rested and have had some nourishment."

The blind man nodded. "Hai, Aizen-sama."

Hisana froze. This was Aizen Sosuke, the man who had betrayed the Soul Society, who had nearly killed Ichigo and his friends, who had destroyed so much good in the world and who shoved his fucking hand through Rukia. His ass was as good as dead.

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A/N: Hey! I bet you all thought that I was dead! NOPE! Fortunately for you, the story will continue. It's up to you all to decide if that it a good or a bad thing. Sorry that I have been gone for so long. Track has taken up any free time that I have--which is next to none because A.P. United States History has become Hell on earth. And I go to a Christian school, so that is really saying something, lol! (You'll have to forgive the poor attempt at humor. It never was my strong point.)

PLEASE REVIEW! I think that that makes it pretty clear. I'm a review whore, what can I say? The more reviews I get, the faster I will write. I promise. And it won't take forever like this chapter did. I swear, it did not want to be written no matter how much I begged, pleaded or whined. It just wanted to stay inside my brain…that is a very scary place to be. As usual, I own nothing. Unfortunately.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen--

Arms wrapped tightly around herself, she sat on a plushy bed. Who knew that imprisonment would feel so nice. Her room was spacious, to say the least. They had given her a bookshelf filled with massive volumes, and a desk with paper for which she could compose…something. She really had no idea what she was going to use the paper and pens for. She was cold; her breath hung in the frozen air before it slowly disappeared into the sky. It was oddly cold; not enough to where she would get hypothermia, though if she remained clad in her toga, she most surely would catch it, but enough to keep her in a constant state of discomfort. Hisana knew what caused it: the air was the palpable presence of death.

Her bare toes tapped on the floor, the bright red paint on her toenails was the only color in the room. Everything, including her skin, was a pasty white. It was ugly and revolting yet modern and entrancing all at once. She wondered where her kids were: what were they doing, were they okay, had Aizen gotten ahold of them, too? And what of Byakuya and Rukia? Had they been hurt in someway? Had Byakuya risen the alarm to warn the others of an invasion, or had he foolishly tried to follow her? She prayed that they were all okay. If they were all right, she could easily survive imprisonment. There was little that Aizen could do to her that scared her; Urahara Kisuke had been her taicho after all. She had seen many abominable horrors under his command.

The door slowly opened. Hisana spun around and leapt off the bed to see who it was. She felt no reiatsu, and she heard no one. It was as if an apparition ghosted into her room, silent as the death and as deadly as Senbonzakura's flower petals. He was overbearingly tall, with soft, honey hair and glowing red eyes. He donned the robes of a shinigami; the inky black seemed to glow ominously against the white marble of the palace. Hisana looked at him with wide but calculating eyes. He looked incredibly familiar…his name hung on the precipice of her memory, shrouded in fog, threatening to fall to the inky abyss of lost knowledge. Forgetting him was unacceptable.

"Good evening, Reiko Hisana," he said with a melodiously dark voice. His words seemed to reach out to her like a silvery hand; the long, tapering fingers reached out and stroked her face. The icy touch sent a jolt down her spine, and a thousand memories flashed through her eyes. Of course…

"Shinsou," she replied with a tilt of her head. Ichimaru Gin's zanpakuto looked at her with understanding. She rolled her eyes, irked at herself for not remembering the sly man's uncanny ability. He had spent nearly a decade perfecting the art of forming a physical body for the spirit of his zanpakuto. Such secret abilities always proved to be useful in someway or the other; now was one of those times. As far as she knew, Aizen was unaware of his lapdog's unique achievement.

"I am to escort you out of Los Noches to the rendezvous point," Shinsou announced.

Hisana eyed the physical spirit skeptically. "This seems to be too easy," she said. It was. To assume that she could simply follow the being out of the palace was outlandish. She would be caught by one of the countless arrancar or worse, Aizen himself. She really did not want to see the pedophile wannabe pissed off.

"My master has assure that your path will remain unhindered. He himself is with Aizen-sama and the rest of the espada at a strategic meeting. You only have minutes before they are finished, so time is of the essence. Please, hurry,"

Though wary, Hisana did not need to be told twice. Nodding, she briskly followed the apparition to the door. Holding up a hand to halt him, she inquired. "What do I do with Ichimaru's haori?"

"Keep it. It is cold outside," was Shinsou's reply. He turned and continued to walk out the door. Hisana scurried after him, pausing only to silently shut her door. That might keep them from noticing her absence for a few minutes longer. She followed Ichimaru's zanpakuto down several hallways and then a flight of stairs. Naturally, no one in Las Noches believed in stairwells. That would make things much easier, and nothing was ever fun unless there was some sort of challenge.

They walked for a good seven minutes in complete silence, neither caring to voice their thoughts. It was unlikely that they would meet again, and if they did, it would most certainly not be on good terms. Her heart beat so loudly that it was a miracle that it did not echo in the open building. Sweat froze to her face, forming a diadem around her crown. The picture of an ice princess, it seemed to her that any second, some soulless arrancar would stumble upon them, and it would all be over. Never had seven minutes taken so long to pass, and never was she so glad to see two great, wide-sweeping doors that announced the entrance to the palace. Looking back on it, it had been unbelievably easy. They walked through the main doors unnoticed by all and into the white sands.

"Where are we going?" she asked, breaking the peaceful silence that had replaced the tense one.

"To the rendezvous,"

"Where is that?" Hisana snapped. Shinsou had a personality very similar to Ichimaru's.

"North," he answered curtly.

Hisana growled in anger. Hands clenched, she stomped after the tall apparition. Her hips swung in annoyance, and, though it was difficult to march on the surprisingly warm sand in bare feet, she did so proudly, determined to make her anger obvious to all. At that moment, she felt like she could take on a hollow barehanded. That thought made the ex-lieutenant stop in her tracks. Shinsou continued walking for thirty paces before he turned around to see the woman staring at her empty hands.

"What is it now?" he snapped. He had to return to his master before Aizen noticed Gin's concentration was somewhere else. It took quite a bit of thought control to keep him in the physical state. Though Gin was usually quite during Aizen's power meetings, he still gave some input. Shinsou had to return to his master as soon as possible. Thought it was hardly a mystery why Gin helped the reincarnation of an old friend, in Shinsou's opinion, it was not worth the risk. Not when his life was at stake. One slip up, and both the Seireitei and Aizen would be clamoring for his head.

"Do I not have my zanpakuto because I am still alive?" she asked curiously.

"Why would I know that?"

"You are a zanpakuto, Shinsou," she answered. "If anyone would know, it would be you."

"I know my master, and that is all. If you want the intricacies of a zanpakuto, ask your captain. He seems to consider himself omniscient," was the aloof answer. Shinsou stared at the woman. There were two parts of his mission that his master had told him to complete. Thus far, he had almost completed one successfully; the other, he was still hesitant about. It seemed like his master was getting more and more reckless--more and more desperate, even--if he was willing to surrender the Hougyuko to the woman. It was priceless in both spiritual realms; to give it to the woman was surrendering his biggest bargaining chip. Yet, an order was an order, and it was impossible for the apparition to disobey his master. "Here," he said.

Hisana looked up just in time to seem him lob something at her. Hands out, she caught it in her open palms. It was a white, crystalline sphere, faceted like a diamond. It was tiny; she could close one hand around it and almost obstruct it completely from view. She looked at Shinsou for an explanation.

"It was Gin's will that you have it. Do as you wish," he instructed.

Hisana looked down at the instrument that she helped to create. Hands closing around it securely, she brought it to her chest. With a resilient nod, they continued forward in silence once more. This time, Hisana felt much more safe with the raw power that radiated in her hands.

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"Well…that should do it, then." Urahara stood up, dramatically dusting his hands off. The ex-captain looked at the constructed portal that loomed over him. He could hear the screams of the hollows susurrusly whisper among the inky clouds, beckoning to allow innocent and unaware souls. He shook his head. It had been too easy.

"You look too proud for a man who destroyed his lieutenant's life, Kisuke," Yoruichi said stiffly from behind him. Her arms were folded across her chest as she glared daggers at him, annoyed more than anything else that he was not cowering under her intense gaze. He had seen it too many times to care unless he was in some serious trouble.

"I think that Hisana will forgive me if she knows that I helped get her out."

"No. She was always a rather vindictive creature," Kuchiki's voice softly announced from the wall.

The two whipped around. Sure enough, Kuchiki Byakuya stood tall, malignantly glaring at them. His gray eyes were clouded with anger, and his reiatsu crackled like lightning with barely controlled energy. "I will kill you now," he said as he drew Sebonzakura from her sheath.

Urahara blanched. "I think that you're taking the cocktail a little too hard, Kuchiki-san," he stuttered out with a cheeky grin. His eyes darted around wildly, as he feared the quick end of his life. Though he had the skill and power of a captain, he did not have the raw reiatsu that Kuchiki and Ichigo seemed to have in heaps and mounds. Kuchiki slowly advanced on him. Senbonzakura glinted in the air menacingly. The blade of a thousand petals suddenly lost its elegance and luster; it looked like nothing more than a tool used to destroy. Urahara could see the bloodstains of all its victims marring the flawless steel, each scar declaring its wielder's capability and willingness to kill him. He did not hear a word of what Urahara had said to him. He didn't need to. All he knew what that he had killed Hisana, robbed her of her life those fifty-three years ago. Killed her in cold blood despite the fact that she was his faithful lieutenant for twelve years. He needed to die in the most painful way possible.

"This has nothing to do with the fact that you drugged me," he snarled. It was infuriating beyond words that the man so renowned for his intelligence was dim enough to think that Kuchiki would kill him for so small a slight. Yes, the fool had put him to sleep, but it was only so he would stop his irking pacing and belittling the man. Though he was proud of his diatribe, it was not an offense that would call for Kuchiki to release Senbonzakura. Killing his wife was. "I shall pin you down with sakura blossoms and slit each of your veins one by one with Senbonzakura," he hissed. "And I promise that you will not die until you have seen every single part of you cut open."

"Calm down, Byakuya," Yoruichi ordered, trying to get in the way of the powerful captain and the idiot inventor. She could intervene and diffuse the entire situation. Byakuya had always been submissive after his bouts of obstinacy as a child. With a coy smile, and a devilish look in her eye that told him that she was about to use deadly force, she walked towards him. Her hips swung seductively in their natural gait. "I'm sure that you misheard." Even though he didn't.

"Stay out of this, Shihoin," he snarled. "This is does not concern you,"

"It does if you are going to spear him right in front of me!" Yoruichi snapped back.

"He deserves it. He murdered his own lieutenant! My wife!" he screamed. It was rare to see the cool, and collected captain loose his temper. His entire body shook with rage. He gripped Senbonzakura's hilt so tightly that his white knuckles looked like they were going to burst from his skin. His pallid face was blood red, a seething inferno of usable power. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I was keeping Soul Society safe," Urahara replied. He had gathered his wits back about him, and his goofily aloof persona was back in place. He was himself again. He could handle this, diffuse the situation, tell the man the truth after lying to him for so many years… "At least," he paused. A grave silence hung in the air for a moment before he raised his head slightly to meet the inconsolable man's eyes. "I thought I was,"

"What are you talking about?" Kuchiki snarled. Spittle hung at the corner of his puckered lips as his dark eyes danced with anticipation. He looked like Zaraki's long lost brother. Or gay lover; Urahara was always hesitant to declare either man's sexual orientation.

"Your wife approached me during her last days, and told me that she suspected an uprising among higher ranked shinigami. You remember when she was attacked in the Rukongai, no?"

Kuchiki nodded slowly. Of course he remembered. He had never seen someone so abused and broken. Not even Zaraki's beatings mirrored the damage inflicted upon her frail body. Arms were dislocated, legs were broken, muscles and tendons were cut, her back was sliced and scratched…thinking of it made him weak. Urahara nodded when he saw the blood drain from Kuchiki's face. "I take it you remember quite clearly. Before she returned to the Seireitei, she sought me out, and told me what had happened. What truly took place in that alleyway where Ukitake found her."

"She was mugged," Kuchiki whispered. Disbelief echoed in his voice, doubts forming in his mind. The attack on Hisana had never made sense. She was strong shinigami; she should have fought them off easily. She had been in her uniform as well. No spirit was foolish enough to attack a member of the Thirteen Court Squads. To do so was certain death. Yet men had, and they lived to tell about it, while Hisana's soul lingered on in agony before finally passing.

"No," Urahara shook his head regretfully. "No, she was not. She told you that per my instructions. She was actually attacked by men in masks--fellow shinigamis, who tortured her in order to find out what we were working in our labs."

"The Hougyoku," Kuchiki clarified.

"Yes, the Hougyuko," Urahara agreed. "As you know, the Hougyoku is a weapon of extreme power. It is made of pure reiatsu, and capable of performing any function that pure spiritual energy is. In the hands of a scientist, it was a tool unmatched by any other. The discoveries and breakthroughs were endless. In the hands of a madman, it was the bringer of Armageddon. Naturally, we both know now who would want the Hougyoku."

"Aizen,"

"Again, yes. It was Aizen who was behind the attack on your wife, and on a few select others of my division, though no one suffered near the damage that Hisana-chan did. Aizen hypothesized that she would know most about the Hougyoku since she was my lieutenant, and he could not have been more wrong. Hisana-chan's knowledge of the Hougyoku far supersedes my own, for it was Daisuke that stabilized it."

"Daisuke?" Kuchiki repeated, suddenly furious. "You used her zanpakuto to finish the Hougyoku? That would ruin her career."

Urahara shrugged. "It really didn't matter. Your wife was strong; she did not reveal a thing to her attackers. But when she told me of her suspicions, I was immediately distrustful. I suspected that you were the leader of the alleged uprising, and that she was torn between her duty to you as her husband and her duty to me as her captain. I thought that she was trying to sway me over to your side, to bring the captains and lieutenants under your control. I knew that the Soul Society could not handle a change of power, especially a violent one, so I acted in the only way I could.

"We rushed to finish the Hougyoku. For two days we slaved. You remember those days don't you, Kuchiki-san? You thought that she was hiding in her room, trying to salvage what was left of her spirit. Of course you did; the entire Seireitei. That was what we wanted you to think. That way, when she resigned from the Twelfth Division, everyone would think that she had broken. We used Daisuke to stabilize the Hougyoku. Only then did Hisana-chan march on the First Division and break an ownerless zanpakuto. The shards that you no doubt still have tucked away somewhere in your fortress never belonged to Hisana.

"As for her death, it was the only way that I could do damage control. As I said previously, I suspected that you were behind the uprising. I reasoned that if I took away your main support, your beautiful and loving wife, that you would forget your plans in the midst of your misery. It was too easy. Hisana-chan was very aware of what I was doing, though she did not know why. She thought that I was killing her because she knew too much of the Hougyoku, she thought that I was murdering her because only she could control the Hougyoku.

"Once every two days for fourteen days, I would inject a toxin in her arm called tetrafluoride-isotyme. It was an infection that ate at her reiatsu, slowly consuming it like a parasite. Once the reiatsu was gone, so was she. I chose it because it looked like an illness common in the upper districts of the Rukongai where she so diligently searched for Rukia. Every two days like clockwork, I would kill her a little bit more, and your wife did nothing to stop me."

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The entire household was sent into a panic whenever Byakuya did not show up for dinner. He was the lord of the house, the master of the estate; nothing could proceed without his approval. The elders of scowled with wrinkled brows as they sat on folded knees around the traditional table; their hands folded beneath the layered silk kimonos. Servants rushed around in a foray, desperate to find the man who protected them for his overbearing family. Their heads turned left and right as they searched beneath beds and in closets, around the ponds in the extensive garden. It was to otiose. The master was gone, as he had been for the entire day.

"What do you mean?" Hanako Fiyumi glared at the quivering lump of fat kneeling before his knees. He scowled at the servant, who did not dare remove her eyes from the floor. The chit wouldn't if she knew what was good for her.

"He…The master is not here…milord," the nameless face squeaked out. She kept her face pressed firmly on the wood floor. "No one has seen him since he left for the Seireitei this morning."

"You worthless girl!" Hanako dismissed her with a wave of his hand. He did not want the lower class scum around him unless it was absolutely necessary. He found them crude and crass, unworthy of his time. He wanted to send them away from the manor forever, but once again, Byakuya was obstinate in his usage of them. It made the elder's blood boil to think that perhaps he had found some other lowlife girl to lavish himself upon. She was weak and homely, like his last mistress. Yes, Hanako and many of the other elders still refused to acknowledge Hisana as the Lady Kuchiki. Once Kuchiki Miyako, Byakuya's mother, had passed, general acceptance of the Rukon girl dwindled. Now that she was back, everyone was making attempts to thwart the romance. It would not happen a second time.

The girl. Hanako froze, his aged mind reeling. He had not seen hide nor hair of human since she had come to the Seireitei. It was plausible that she had something to do with the head of the family's disappearance. She was a sly thing. The last time that she seduced Byakuya, they spent nearly all of their time away from the manor, out among the lesser souls. They would have to widen their search.

Rukia stood in the corner and watched the commotion with her violet eyes. It was unlike her brother to disappear, especially when the elders decided to dine with them. They were a capricious group, and they needed their bipolar temperaments soothed at all times. "I'm worried," she told Ichigo. The tall boy stood to her right, glowering at the servants who scampered to get out of Hanako's way. The old man's wrath was something to be feared, apparently, but Ichigo did not know why. It wasn't like he was Old Man Yamamoto or anything.

"Knowing Byakuya, he is still at the Sixth Division," muttered the substitute.

Rukia shook her head. "No. He always returns home promptly at six o'clock, and dinner is always at seven-thirty. Always. He has not deviated from that schedule in years. Not even during Aizen's attack…Oh, Brother, where are you?"

Ichigo scowled. "Hell if I should know." Why were all of the women in his life suddenly so preoccupied with Byakuya? It was incredibly irking to have that smug bastard at the forefront of everyone's minds. Like his head wasn't big enough already.

"Do you think that he is with Hisana?" Rukia asked with large eyes.

"She's showering," Ichigo offered as an answer. "And don't you dare think together,"

"God, you are so uptight, sometimes," Rukia huffed. Arms crossed, she glared at the world, the perfect imitation of her brother. If he didn't know better, Ichigo would have swore that she was a Kuchiki born and bred. Everything from her appearance to her mannerisms screamed uptight snot, which Rukia most certainly was most of the time.

"You're one to talk," he muttered. It was a pathetic retort, but it made him feel better.

"Lord Hanako!" a man bowed low before the pacing elder.

"Yes? What?" said elder snapped impatiently. Behind him sat the female elders, with their knees tucked femininely under them and their delicate kimonos. The men stood tall and proud, furious that the head of the clan could vanish without a trace and no one notice anything until he was long gone.

"We found these is Lord Kuchiki's suite, sir," the man mumbled. He held up a pair of jeans and a black Miyavi shirt. Ichigo groaned. Of course Hisana slept with Byakuya. His day was getting worse by the minute, and it did not seem like it was going to get better any time soon. Rukia gasped, scandalized that her brother could do something so…common. Ichigo rolled his eyes. Damn, was she really so sheltered?

"And what are these?" Hanako eyed the garments with disgust.

"It is the standard garb of a female ryoka,"

Hanako's gaze instantly flickered over to Ichigo. He scowled at the human boy, blaming him for Byakuya's disappearance until someone more appropriate could be. His gaze wandered south to Rukia, who stood, gaping at the clothes. She seemed to have no idea about her brother's illicit behavior.

"This is not all that we have found, Hanako-sama," the same servant whispered.

"What else is there to shame us with?" Hanako roared.

"There is a strange reiatsu present, Hanako-sama. And there are whispers of struggle above the Seireitei involving Byakuya-sama and a teal-haired man."

"FUCK!" Ichigo swore. The entire room fell silent as the teen flushed red. It was not a blush from embarrassment, however, but from anger. Without a word or apology, Ichigo ran out of the room. Casting an apologetic look to the elders of the clan, Rukia followed her friend. Ichigo ran at top speed, praying that he was wrong. There was just no way…no way in hell. They would have sensed it if someone had broken into the Soul Society, especially an espada. No. He was wrong. It wasn't Grimmjow. It couldn't have been.

Not caring for propriety, Ichigo burst into Hisana's room as soon as he got there. All was still. Peace reigned. She wasn't in the shower. Once again, he screamed his favorite word. This time, the entire household, his sisters included, heard it. Hell, the entire Seireitei probably did.

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"This is the rendezvous point," Shinsou informed Hisana. They halted in the middle of nowhere. Looking around, Hisana saw nothing for miles, save for the large stone palace. It looked so close, yet it seemed as if they had been walking for nearly an hour. Was Aizen's stronghold truly so massive that it looked like a city from the distance? It boggled the mind. "I must leave you here, and return to my master."

"Wait!" Hisana cried. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Wait until help comes," was his answer.

"And how long will that be?" she yelled back, completely unsatisfied.

Shinsou shrugged his shoulders. "In an hour or so. Rescuing you takes a little bit more on the other side,"

"What on earth do you mean by that?"

The apparition did not answer her. Instead, he chose to dissolve into the night, as if he had never been there in the first place. Hisana stood, looked around the inky abyss, clutching the little diamond to her chest. She was suddenly very, very afraid.

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A/N: I'm sure that you all are wondering where the hell I've been. I'm sorry, but I've been so busy lately. And I will be for the next little bit. Track has become all consuming which is not good, considering I have to apply for a summer job, and I am starting my A.P. testing this Friday. I feel like my head is getting ready to explode. Don't worry. It all should be over soon and I will be back to writing. I don't know about you all, but I am getting tired of Hisana being in Hueco Mundo. I swear that she'll get out next chapter, even if I have to kill somebody for it to happen. It would have happened this chapter, but I decided that I should just go ahead and post this. Just so you guys can have something to read.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen--

"Well, hell," Renji muttered, just as stumped as the others who gathered at the impromptu meeting. That accurately summed up everyone's opinions. Not one of them thought that Kuchiki had it in him to bang a girl before marriage, even if it was his precious Hisana returned. He was too prim, and proper to do something so… normal. Though, Renji reasoned, when it came to Hisana Kuchiki always threw away the rule book. It was anyone's guess as to how that homely girl made him do something so against his nature.

"Really," Rangiku agreed. She bit her lip, to keep from laughing. Everything about the situation was hysterical, but she could never admit that out loud. No one else thought that it was, but it really was. She had known Hisana for a brief time when she was alive, and this was the trouble that only that girl could find. It was even better than the time when Hisana had accidentally exploded the Twelfth Division labs, and burned off all of Urahara's hair. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that you don't mix Rhubidium with water, dear. Hisana had walked around without eyebrows for months. Those little hairs took forever to grow back, a fact that Rangiku had never forgotten.

For her part, Rukia was seething and ecstatic. On the one hand, her brother should have been more responsible. The elders might have walked in on them, or even worse, she could have! She volunteered to go get him for dinner, but Hanako said that it was a servant's job. If she had gone--oh God, she didn't even want to think about it. Sure, she dreamed about Byakuya and Sani getting back together, to actually see her brother happy, but she never even imagined that it might be so soon. Hisana didn't even have her memories back, and they were already at it. What were they, mutant rabbits? Rukia would have thought that her brother might have given Hisana at least a week to get her bearings, but no. Typical male. Sex on the mind all the time. Rukia had thought that her brother was better than that, but obviously she was mistaken.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck!!!!!" Ichigo screamed. His rage startled all of the gathered captains and lieutenants as well as the other select few present to discuss what they were going to do. They sure as hell had to do something, that was for sure.

Ichigo screamed in frustration. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Hisana was gone, and so was Byakuya. Her clothes were in his room. Grimmjow had popped in on them during sex---EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!--and now Sani was running around the Seireitei somewhere naked. Damn. How hard was it to put up a couple of kidos to make sure that you weren't interrupted. Not very, in Ichigo's mind. There were minors in the house, for goodness sake. You would think that Sani might want to make sure that Yuzu had her ears covered.

And how dare Byakuya! That old coot! He told Ichigo that he wasn't interested in pursuing Hisana in a romantic sense. She wasn't his wife because she didn't have her memories back or some shit. Something had obviously changed in the past three days. Perhaps Sani had finally regained all of her memories, and now was faced with a choice. It was painfully obvious to Ichigo which city she would chose. Old and smelly, or modern and fantastic. It was not that hard of a choice. Shirosaki's nagging voice in his ear told him another story.

"_You know she'll want to stay here, King,_" he whispered. "_He's here. She'll want to stay with him_,"

"Shut up," Ichigo snarled.

_"She loves 'im. But…then again…you already knew that, didn't you?_" the hollow chuckled. "_She loves 'im with all of her heart. More than she loves you_."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Ichigo hissed. The hollow always knew when to bug him the most. He never shut up.

"Ichigo?" Rukia muttered. Stepping forward, she reached out to the redhead teen. He was glaring fiercely at the entire room. His eyes were blank, however, and unfocused as he stared at nothing. He was muttering nonsense to himself, something he was not aware that he was doing. People were staring. Very few knew about his inner hollow, and now was not the time for that secret to come out. "Ichigo," she prodded his shoulder. "Ichigo." He did not seem to hear her. He just kept muttering.

"_Hah-hah, King. You're funny_," Shirosaki drawled. "_Of course I know what I'm talking about. It's your mind, after all. I'm just telling you what you already know_." The specter paused, viciously plotting his next words. "_It must bug you a lot to think about it. Hisana and Kuchiki, all how and bothered, riled up. Her head thrown back_--"

"SHUT UP!!!!!!" Ichigo screamed. He cupped his head in his hands and let out a guttural roar. "Just stop it! Stop talking to me! Shut the hell up!!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. Hands covering his ears to stop any sound, he fell to his knees. "Stop," he whispered. "Just stop. Please…"

"Ichigo!" Rukia called. She kneeled down beside him as he shook his head, trying desperately to clear Shirosaki's thoughts. She had no idea what she should do. Her friend needed her help, yet there was nothing she could do. She could not destroy the hollow or force him to be silent; and she did not have enough power to seal him away from Ichigo's conscious. Only someone with a captain-level reiatsu could do that. Like Nii-sama. Rukia choked out a breath as she fought away the tears of weakness. Now was not the time to cry. She would be strong, and make her brother proud.

"_Che, it really bugs you, don't it?_" the hollow taunted. "_Here you are, wringing you hands with worry like a woman, hoping that she'll come back while she is off, galavanting with another man. You're jealous. Whimpering like a woman. Che, you're pathetic, King. It's making me think that I can mount you, and make you be the horse_."

"I don't care," he whispered. His voice was scratchy and his throat was raw. His entire body shook. If Shirosaki took control, Ichgio would be oblivious to the rest of the world. Sweet oblivion. "Do it, already."

"_Pft, weakling_," snorted Shirosaki. He went in for the kill. "_It's not like she loves you_,"

"I said, SHUT UP!" Ichigo roared. "I don't give a damn what you think! Just shut the fuck up and go the hell AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed.

"What's his problem?" Zaraki grunted. His one eyes watched beadily as the redhead shinigami danced around like a madman. Most of the shinigami present watched with idle fascination as he screamed and shook his head.

"None of your damn business," muttered Renji. Hell, he was friends with Ichigo, though not necessarily his best friend. But he certainly was going to protect the idiot's sensitive secret. The Soutaicho wouldn't keep his ass around if he knew the truth about his split personality disorder. The idiot was obviously in no state of mind to think about things like that.

Zaraki raised an eyebrow at Abarai's usual impudence, but stayed any comment. The General was ready to talk. He hit his wooden cane on the floor three times. "We have gathered here at this most late hour to discuss the disappearance of our own. At approximately seven-thirty this evening, Kuchiki Byakuya's home was invaded by the Sexta Espada, Grimmjow Jeagerjaques.

"From evidence thus far gathered, it is assumed that he was in the company of Reiko-Hisana, former lieutenant of the Twelfth Division. We believe that Jeagerjaques somehow used Reiko-san as leverage against Captain Kuchiki, forcing him to comply to Aizen's demands. We are not sure yet as to what Aizen hopes to gain from the kidnappings, but whatever it is cannot be good. Captain Kuchiki's knowledge of the Gotei 13 is impressive, and he knows many of the intricacies that Aizen would find useful. We must be vigilant, and proceed with the utmost caution. Repercussions of this will be vast and they do not bode well for the Seireitei."

"Knock knock!" a voice called out with a slight drawl, efficiently crushing any attempt at the Head Captain to have an ominous silence settle over the present.

All heads turned to see Urahara Kisuke standing in the entrance of the meeting hall. He leaned lackadaisically against Benihimi and the usual smirk adorned his aged face. He donned his usual green garb, and his striped hat that made him look like the fool he was. Behind him, Shihoin stood tall and proud. Her catlike eyes glinted in the lamplight, shining with interest and slight contempt. Jinta and Uruhu were forced to stay behind by their over-protective guardian, and Tessai opted to stay with them.

"What are you two doin' here?" Zaraki gruffly mumbled. He cast a look warily at the two outcasts. They both had bee banished for some reason or other. Or…at least, Urahara had. Shihoin just left with him, which wasn't a sin in of itself. Zaraki blinked his one eye. Now was not a time for such useless musings.

"Who cares? Kisuke-taicho's back!" Kyoraku announced with a large grin. Kisuke always had a knack for popping up at the most unexpected of times. Usually, when he came around, so did a lot of excitement. It had always been one helluva party when he, Jushiro and Kisuke went on one of their drunken rampages.

"Silence yourself, Captain Kyoraku," admonished Yamamoto. To Urahara, he blandly sated, "You know full well that you are no longer welcome in the realm of the Seireitei. Not until your two century banishment is completed."

"Then, I suppose that banishment is the incorrect term," Urahara slyly replied. "It's more like a prolonged sabbatical, wouldn't you say?"

"Regardless," Yamamoto sighed wearily. He was old, and getting tired of all of the politics. He would prefer to sip some tea in his old age, and observe the normal, and functioning intricacies of his Gotei. Fate, which was capricious to begin with, seemed to have other ideas when it came to the end of his days. "of the correct terminology, the fact that you are here is still outstanding. You must leave the premise at once, and do not step back inside of the gates until your sabbatical," he emphasized Urahara's own words, "and Zaraki-taicho will escort you to the gates if necessary."

"It's not," Urahara dismissed the old man with a wave of his hand. After all, he did have more important things to discuss than his sentence. "I'm actually here on semi-official business," he announced just as Zaraki took a step forward.

"Whaddaya mean by that, Urarhara?" Ichigo muttered with both mild contempt and respect.

Urahara inclined his head to his unofficial pupil. "I am here to help you all with the disappearance of Kuchiki Byakuya, and Reiko Hisana."

"Speak man!" Ukitake demanded. He was trying his best to console Rukia,who had begun to violently shake when she could not reach Ichigo. Perhaps news of her beloved brother would help heal her soul.

"I am trying to do so," Urahara commented. "However, I keep being interrupted by rude Gotei captains who think that they know better than me. It's rather irritating."

The shinigami present flinched, but, in respect of his words, they all remained silent. What he had to say might be vital to Captain Kuchiki's survival. Urahara nodded, satisfied. "That's better. Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he glanced at Ukitake and then at Hitsugaya, who looked like he was about to interject. The warning was enough to keep the kid quiet for now. "Though this may shock you all greatly, the main target of the kidnapping was not Kuchiki-taicho, but Hisana-chan."

Immediately, the protests began.

"You're insane. There's no way Aizen would want her."

"She's just a ryoka."

"You're just as bad as Kurotsuchi."

"Did you go on a spree without me, Kisuke-san?" This last one came from Kyoraku. The hirsute captain wagged his finger at his friend with a devilish smirk on his face. Of course he would think something like that, Urahara shook his head with a slight grin.

There were others who seemed more ready to believe that Aizen had targeted Reiko-san over Kuchiki. Ichigo's head snapped up, and his eyes locked onto Urahara's face. He believed every word that the ex-shinigami said, and waited raptly for him to continue. Rukia and Ukitake had suspicion clouding their eyes, but deep down, they both knew that the wry-eyed man was telling the truth. He had never lied to them before. And, surprisingly, Kurotsuchi Mayuri also believed his former captain. But then again, Urahara knew that the painted man was aware of the happenings in the Twelfth Division that led to Urahara's banishment, and his subsequent promotion to captain.

"What are you saying, Urahara?"

"Speak up, man!" Ukitake ordered again.

"Are you serious?"

Urahara snorted in derision. He shook his awakard head, casting an irked looked at the inhabitants of the room. Once again, they all fell silent with the red hue of embarrassment. "So rude, so rude. Has this past century taught you nothing of respect? Or at least, patience?" He looked at them. "Now if you will please stay your comments, I will tell you of the most interesting thing that happened in my home just this very evening. Or, should I say--?" He glanced at his wrist, "I should say, just this past night. It was a most interesting thing indeed." With a respectful but playful remark, he grinned at the Soutaicho. "Do I have your permission to continue, Yamamoto-soutaicho?"

Yamamoto sighed. He should have expected something like this to happen. Urahara Kisuke was a clever man, a man who always managed to make sure that things happened the way he wanted them to. There was no way that the General could refuse to let him tell his tale now that he had piqued the interest of his captive audience. They would riot if he tried to stop the man. A pang in his gut told him to stop it before Urahara went too far; before he let something slip that should not be revealed. Kuchiki Hisana and several others had died a long time ago, and done so honorably. It would not do the dead good to bring back the painful memories for no reason. "If you so chose," he reluctantly mumbled.

"Very well," Urahara answered. "Last night, around eight o'clock, my dinner was interrupted by a frantic Kuchiki Byakuya." He paused for those who know Kuchiki best to cast curious looks to each other. Frantic was not the word anyone would ever think to use to describe the rigid man. "He ordered me to immediately open a rift that would give him access to Hueco Mundo, and to Aizen. Naturally, I agreed."

People thought that he mispoke, but Urahara pressed on. "He told me that Grimmjow Jeagerjaques infiltrated the Seireitei, and kidnapped Reiko Hisana. This may be difficult for some of you to believe, despite the fact that you all know that she was once upon a time, my lieutenant."

"I fail to see the significance," Komamura sniffed. He had never liked the man before them. In his straightforward mind, Urahara was arbitrary and not to be trusted. Fickle as ever, he did everything to best suit his own needs, and not society at as large. That was why e created the Hougyoku, and that was why he was banished from the Seireitei.

"But it is so painfully obvious. Wouldn't you all agree?" At the blank looks he received, Urahara gave a sad groan. "So uneducated. It is a pity really, that some you are considered to be the best and brightest of the Soul Society. It is scary to think how far we have fallen. But never mind that," he clapped his hands together, "we need to get back to Aizen. It is quiet simple really. He kidnapped Hisana-chan because she was privy to all of my labs and my work." He paused to let it all sink in. Unfortunately, all he got was blank stares. "Hisana-chan was instrumental in the creation of the Hougyuko, and knows a great deal about it."

He could see the lights click on in their eyes. With a look at Yoruichi, the ex-shinigami realized that the Seireitei was full of idiots. All braun, and no brains. Just like Ichigo. Eternity just got a lot longer.

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She was bored. She had never been patient in her life, and after waiting for what felt like an eternity, Hisana was ready to shoot somebody. Someone was supposed to meet her, and bring her back to the Soul Society, but thus far, no one had come. For several minutes or was it hours, she had paced back and forth. She then tried to count the stars in the sky, but failed to do so. Hueco Mundo had no stars. Then she settled for counting grains in the handfuls of sand, but that was even more boring than pacing. Life really was not fair sometimes.

Looking at the little gem in her hand, she tried to remember what is was. It to be something important if Shinsou returned it to her. Aizen mentioned it briefly; it was why he wanted her after all. He called it the Hougyoku. Hisana would ave toldh im gladly what he wanted to know if it meant keeping the Kurosaki's safe. The only problem was, she had no idea what it was. It was as foreign to her as the Dead Sea or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There were no buttons on it, nor were there levers. It was completely sealed. It was pretty, and shiny, but other than that, she could see no outstanding characteristics. Maybe it would make a pretty necklace, but it was of no other use. Habitually, Hisana cracked her knuckles. It was a coping mechanism she developed when she was a teenager, entering college for the first time.

"Angel carry me, oh so far away. Make my body, never touch the ground," she sang softly. It was an old song from her childhood. Her mother had taught it to her before she went crazy. It was a nice song. "And if I promise you, I'll be back some day, will you set me free, so I can fly away?"

Silence descended around her again. She did not like it. It made her feel small and feeble. Biting her lip, she tossed the Hougyoku between her hands. Taking a deep breath, she repeated the chorus, singing it a little bit louder. "And if I promise you, I'll be back some day, will you set me free so I can fly away?"

All the while, the wind had been blowing. Agitatedly, she raked a hand through her mane, and tucked it behind her corners. The wind picked up, blowing faster and faster. Her hair whipped around the front of her head, getting in rats. It was going to be impossible to get it back in order. Hisana tried to gather it all up in her hands, and hold it behind her head. Tendrils and wisps as well as long locks were blown out of her grasp, and now danced in the blustering wind.

"Would you like some help?" a cool voice floated across the wind. It was warm, but dark. Like a balm, it soother her frayed nerves, and scratchy skin. Hisana released her hair and let the wind sweep it away. Standing, she turned to face him.

She looked like an angel of death. She matched flawlessly with the landscape. She still wore her bed sheet toga, which was swept up in the wind, and pulled behind her, outlining her figure. Someone had given her a haori to shield her from prying eyes. Her raven black hair blew in the wind, disappearing into the inky sky. She looked like a wraith, an angelic espada able to blend in with the shinigami of the Seireitei. Byakuya spread his arms wide, and closed them tightly around her as Hisana rushed into his arms.

"Byakuya," she whispered, throwing her arms around him. She squeezed him tightly, making him grunt from the pressure on his abdomen.

"Hisana," he grunted out. His eyes bulged from the head from her tight grasp, but he did not care. They were together again, as they should be. It seemed that fate as trying to separate them at every twist and turn, but no longer. He refused to let them be kept apart again. "Hisana." He kissed the top of her head gently. "I love you,"

Hisana buried her head in his chest. "I love you, too. With all of my heart,"

Withdrawing from her arms, Byakuya looked down at her. He smiled with her eyes. "Come," he took her hand. "Let's get away from here." Hand in hand, Byakuya pulled Hisana towards a shimmering portal. Hisana looked at Byakuya, surprised that he was the one to get her, and not some official shinigami. He had certainly taken his precious time coming, but she couldn't fault him for that. She would have wandered around like a lost kitten if he had been taken. Byakuya pulled her through the rip in space and time, back to home.

She blinked. They were in what looked like a remote desert. The air was dry and hot. Rocks littered the ground, but there was not many other domineering features. It was a wasteland. "Where are we?" she asked her man.

"Welcome, Reiko-san," a deep voice said.

Hisana turned around. Before her loomed a mountainous man with tiny, bespectacled eyes. She blinked rapidly. "Whoa," she let out. He was huge. "Uh…hi," she waved her hand slightly. She could not wrap her mind around the fact that he was twice as big as she was.

He turned his attention to Byakuya. "Captain Kuchiki. This way please." He turned around, and began to walk towards another rip in time. Hisana shook her head. The people were experts at ripping rifts. It was insanely dangerous to create one, let alone two. This was not good. Not good at all.

"Byakuya," she whispered.

"Ssh…I know," he placated her. "Trust me."

"Do you have any idea how many radioactive spiritual particles are zooming around us? If we al are not care with our reiatsu compression, then we could set off a chain reaction that would end up with us exploding the entire city. Spiritual particles are too unstable to be messing around with. Only a fool would open more than one rift at once!"

"Your captain is responsible for this," Byakuya told her gravely. "You learned everything from him. I believe that you would agree that he is well aware of the requirements needed to keep them both stable."

"Captain Urahara is involved?"

"Yes," he repeated.

"That is not entirely comforting."

"And here I thought it would be."

When they arrived back in the Soul Society, every one was waiting for them, just as Urahara predicted. The annoying man was somehow always right. They watched as he escorted her back with wide eyes, wondering where she got the stark white haori. Word had spread of their relationship. Eyes darted and peoples whispered furiously. He did not care, as long as she did not. Hisana had not even seemed to notice, however, for she rushed towards Yuzu, who was sobbing.

"My girls!" she cried. Hisana pulled Yuzu and Karin to her, patted their heads. Once again, she was forced to soothe them. "It's okay, girls. It's okay."

Byakuya wondered how long it would be okay. Though he promised that nothing would separate them, it seemed he was wrong. The little girls would steal her from him. She would never leave them, and he would not ask her to. It would not be fair to abandon them now. Not when they needed her so desperately.

"Hn," Ichigo muttered so that only Kuchiki could hear. "Guess I didn't have to worry after all."

Byakuya looked at him sourly. "I never would have asked her to leave you,"

Ichigo looked at him. "I know. But I won't tell her to stay,"

They shared a look. "Not that she would stay," he told the kid.

Ichigo grinned. "That's what makes her Sani."

"Reiko-san," the General's deep voice cut through the joyous reunions. All heads turned to look at the ancient man. "Please, tell us all that occurred during your kidnapping."

Hisana looked at him. "Tomorrow," she said staunchly.

"It is better that you tell us now while everything is still fresh. I want to know every minute detail."

Hisana looked at the shinigami, and at her kids. She nodded. "Very well,"

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I'm back. Finals went great. It's time for cross to starts. Thats my favorite sport. I hope you all like the chapter. I don't. It will get better. I promise. Aizen is gonna take a break, and the angst will start. Cause we all know that that is sooooo much more interesting. And if y'all still want it, we'll toss in some IchiRuki.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty--

One week had passed since Hisana's kidnapping. Life had not returned to normal in the slightest. People walked on eggshells around him. They whispered; every little thing he did was scrutinized. The elders forbid him from looking at Hisana, much less speaking to her. Not that he obeyed. Their relationship was strained, however. He was angry with her for not telling him of her attack, or about the Hougyoku. If he had known, he might have acted differently. For sure, he would not have left Rukia to suffer her unjust death.

His beloved was acting strange, as well. Like she did the weeks before her death. He would not be fooled into thinking trauma again. There would be no more secrets between them, no more lies or deceit. He intend to confront her about her past as soon as he returned home. He had to wait until the infernal captain's meeting was done. Yamamoto had been going on for some time about Aizen's increased activity in the human world. Souls were being consumed right and left by Hollows; sometimes the humans were not yet dead. He was also acting among the living, causing sporadic fires and he went as far as to collapse a building. It was inexplicable, and it frustrated the entire Gotei. It was their duty to stop the menace, but they could not figure out his plan, nor could they counteract him.

"He is obviously furious over Sani-san's rescuing," Hitsugaya theorized. "He wanted knowledge of the Hougyoku from her, and was not able to obtain it."

"I agree with Captain Hitsugaya," Komamura stated. "Other theories have gaping holes. This is the only thing that makes sense."

"Unless there is something that Reiko-san is withholding," Soi Fong remarked. It was not that she distrusted Reiko-san, she simply wanted to keep all captains aware of all the options. When people jumped to conclusions, they were often wrong. They did not have the time to be wrong. All options need to be thoroughly explored before any action was taken to ensure that what was done was safe, and permissible to the laws. The last time they jumped to conclusions, innocent people almost died.

All heads turned to Kuchiki. He looked at them with the same dead eyes that he had worn for the last week. He answered them evenly. "She would only withhold information if she suspected something was amiss."

"Has anyone given her any indication that something was wrong?" the Soutaicho inquired.

"Other than the kidnapping and Aizen trying to kill her?" Kyoraku teased. He offered his peers a weak smile. No one found his pathetic attempt at humor amusing. Not even his best friend was kind enough to crack a grin for his sake. Kyoraku's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Very well, then. We are adjourned for today unless anyone else has anything prudent to add to the conversation."

Everyone was silent. They all wanted to get home to their families and to their lives. Shoulders hung under the pressure they all felt. Eyes were red and swollen, betraying the many sleepless nights they had all contributed to the search. Hair was ratted, and clothes were rumbled. Even Kuchiki was not in his usual pristine self.

"Good day," Yamamoto said.

Without courtesy nods or acknowledgements, the captains moved out the room. Heads were bowed as they dispersed on the street. Slowly, he trudged his way home. He could have shunpoed, and cut his travel time by ninety-eight percent, but that would not given him the time to think. He needed to plan out exactly how he would confront her about her past. He had mulled over it all day, and had yet to come up with a gentlemanly way to breach it. He hated her for not tell him, yet he somehow understood why she did not. Still, she had to tell him why she kept her secrets. If she did not, Kuchiki was not sure what he would do. Trust was a two way street.

She looked up at him when he entered the room and smiled. She sat perched on the love seat with Yuzu reclining on her hip. Her feet were tucked daintily underneath her as she read the children and Rukia a bedtime story. She had not done it in years, and for some strange reason, it felt like she was supposed to do this. Perhaps it was because they all finally grasped Ishin's death. Poor little Yuzu had been attached to her leg all day, crying and begging for comfort. Karin had slept with her for the past two nights, in a silent attempt to keep the nightmares at bay. Ichigo divulged his feelings to Rukia. Byakuya tried to understand what was going on with all of their emotions, but was struggling. He had never dealt with young children, and he never liked Isshin all that much. The distance between them was rapidly growing, and it was because of a number of things. Hisana was determined to close that gap tonight. That was why she read the children the bedtime story: to put them to sleep.

Thus far, it was working splendidly. Yuzu was fast asleep, and Karin's prone form on the ground looked as if she were steadily asleep as well. Ichigo and Rukia sat curled up in the armchair, comfortable with each other's quiet presence. Hisana kept sneaking glances at them throughout the evening. They were adorably wrapped up in themselves, lost to the rest of the world in each other. She remembered that feeling.

He silently glided into the room. She wondered why he had come. Perhaps he had sensed the rest of the family gathering there and decided to join them. That was a strange act for him. She reasoned that he might have had a particularly stressful day at the office and needed some time to unwind before he retired for the evening. She glanced at the clock. "You're home late," she said.

"I know. Things were very busy today," he informed her.

"I see," she said as she flipped the page. Hisana pretended to keep reading, though her entirety was focused on the man before her. He had not spoken to her since that morning, when he bid her a good day. The past week had tested their relationship in ways that Hisana had never thought possible. For the first time, not only was there pressure from the elders against the courting, but from members of the Gotei 13, and even her own family. Ichigo tried to be supportive, but Hisana could see the fear and the anger hidden behind his brown eyes. Yuzu and Karin were not sure what to make of it, but they made the effort. They shadowed Byakuya, appearing everywhere he was while he was in the manor. They asked him constant questions about everything and anything pertaining to the new world.

"Why are you still up, Hisana?" he asked her. She could hear the tired edge in his voice. He was exhausted but he still had come to see her. That made her smile as she informed him:

"I was waiting for you," she answered. "I wanted to talk to you. We haven't had the time these past few days, and I thought you might want someone to vent to."

"While that is very kind of you, I assure you that I am fine," he said stiffly.

"You don't sound fine," she said crossly. "Please, Byakuya, tell me what's wrong."

"It is not something that we can discuss in the presence of children," was his answer.

Hisana's eyebrows shot way up in alarm. It must have been serious if he wanted to talk about it in private. With a nod, she gently shifted Yuzu off her hip and stood up. Silently, the two of them walked out of the lounge, and to Byakuya's room. "Now, tell me," she ordered him. "What is going on? Something has been on your mind all week."

"Why did you not tell me about the attack?" he turned on her suddenly. His handsome face was contorted with rage, and she shrank back. His eyes were filled with bellicose anger, and his entire body shook with rage. "For weeks I thought that I had failed you. I thought that I failed you as a husband because I could not protect you. I thought that your dying was my fault. And worst of all, you let me think that!"

"My death wasn't your fault, Byakuya. And, of course, you did not fail me as a husband, or as a protector. The attack was random." Hisana had been sitting on the bed, but she stood up to place her hand placating on his forearm. "What on earth made you think those things?"

"Do not try to placate me, Hisana." Byakuya jerked away like her touch burned. "I'm no longer the fool you married. I see you now for who you are. I see the signs that I so desperately tried to ignore during our marriage. You are deceiving to me now, just as you did all those years ago."

"I am doing no such thing," Hisana cried indignantly. "I would never deceive you! I'm not some filthy whore like your family makes me out to be! Have they brainwashed you so much that all you see is trash? I love you! I'm not out to get you or your money! I don't wan t it! Is that all you see? Are you blind?" Her heart raced. She wanted to spit in his eyes and claw them out. His accusations cut her deep to the bone, and his actions left her bleeding on the floor. The bastard.

"I'm not referring to your motives in this relationship, Hisana, though I should reevaluate those considering what I've learned," Byakuya snarled. "I am referring to the Hougyoku." He watched carefully, and her face told him that he was right. Her dull blew eyes widened and her round face flushed.

"How do you--"

"Urahara told me everything," he cut her off. "You helped build it, you even used your own goddamn zanpakuto. You should have known better." He wanted to strike her, if only to knock some sense into her head. "Daisuke was your life as a soul reaper, as a soul! Your spiritual force was tied to him! It is no shock that you died after you created it. He consumed half of your energy!

"As relevant as that is, that is not your worst sin! How dare you not tell me that you were creating a weapon that could destroy the entire Seireitei! It got you killed!" His eyes widened astronomically. He grabbed her arms, just below her shoulders. He shook her roughly. A peal escaped her lips; she was scared. "You let him kill you! You knew that bastard was murdering you, and you did nothing! How can you let someone do that to you? He took you from me, from everyone! One more year! One more year, and you would have found Rukia! One more year, Hisana. Do you understand that?" He shook her with each word.

"When you died, you didn't just hurt yourself! Not that you felt anything! Do you have any idea what your death did to me? To Isshin? Ise-san? We were devastated! You left us, and now I find out that you had some control over it! You LET him kill you!"

Her breath returned. When he first mentioned the Hougyoku, Hisana thought he had found it hidden among her things. He only knew about its involvement in her past. Relief swept her system; as long as he did not know about it now, everything was okay. Instantly, Hisana felt guilt. He was right. She was deceiving him.

"I can explain!" she began.

"I don't want to hear it! You actions speak louder than words!"

"It wasn't safe!" she cried. "I didn't know who was responsible, and I didn't want whoever it was coming after you. And Taicho thought that I was part of the scheme! I was afraid of what he might do intimidate you, or get you banished from the Gotei! I didn't want that!"

"Don't use excuses with me, Hisana! We both know very well that you were scared of what might happen, and so you gave up! You did not want to face Rukia after you found her! Dying was easier for you than it was to admit to her that you abandoned her! You were tired of the elders and their constant complaints! You wanted out, and you took the quickest, easiest option!"

"You fucking bastard!" Hisana screamed. "I did no such thing!"

"Prove it!" he barked.

"What did he tell you?" she seethed. "That I finished the Hougyoku, and then rolled over and died for him? Did he not tell you about his other inventions? His other projects? They were just as dangerous as the Hougyoku, but he never got caught because I was the only other person who knew about them! He killed me to cover his own ass! What we were doing was beyond illegal, and we both would have been executed on the spot if anyone ever found out! I might have wanted out of the Seireitei, but I wasn't willing to die for just that!

"I died to protect you! I wasn't making that up! True, I was afraid of what would happen to you after the attack, but not because I thought it was some petty noble out for revenge! No! It was so much more simple than that! Anything and everything that we ever did, others were implicated! If we had been caught, not just Urahara and I would have gone down, but so would you and countless others! You, Nanao, your grandfather, Isshin, even Aizen! You all helped us create the Hougyoku, the Myikio, and the VCP! You all would have been incarcerated or killed! If I died, then so did the secrets, and you all were safe! I was protecting you!"

She poked him hard in the chest. "See? Betcha feel like an idiot now! Good, you fucking backwards ass! I don't even know why I died to protect you! You obviously didn't give a shit!"

Byakuya grabbed her chin, and forced her to meet his eyes. They were cold, and cruel. The raging fire still burned in them, and nothing she said or did would put it out. Her heart sank, but she was so angry that she was willing to fight with him. She was determined to win, and make him realize what a jackass he was. Then she would leave him forever, and marry someone who didn't jump to conclusions, someone who trusted her. Where was the gay-looking shinigami?

"What is the Myikio?" he demanded in a harsh whisper.

Hisana flinched. Her lips moved of their own accord, and though she tried to stop it, she couldn't. She answered him truthfully. "It's a device that separates a soul reaper from his spiritual power. It was meant to be used as a punishment for shinigami. By cleaving the bond between shinigami and spiritual particles, he was banished from the Seireitei but was not killed. It was harsh, but it was better than death. It was from the Myikio that we developed the Hougyoku."

"And the VCP?" he questioned.

Again, she answered truthfully, and it was still against her will. "It was what we used to make the rifts between the worlds. In its original form, it was harmless. You can see how it can be perverted, and used against the Seireitei."

Byakuya released her face. Turning on his heel, he took two steps, and let out a long breath. He ran his hands through his hair, but his fingers were entangled in his Kenseikan. Hisana, too, sighed. Tears welled up in her ugly blue eyes, and her lower lip began to tremble. Great. She was going to start balling. Suddenly desperate to keep his love, she began to ramble. "Everything we did was done with the best intentions. We weren't trying to create the machine that could give enemies access to us and bring on doomsday, and we just wanted a humane punishment for wrongdoers. I'll be the first to admit that Hougyoku, for all intents and purposes is completely useless unless invoked--then it's dangerous--but no one else can do it.

"We created everything with the hopes of bettering out world. We didn't want to destroy it. I mean…" she stumbled over her words through her tears, "…it might seem otherwise, but you have to believe me. You know me Byakuya. I wouldn't bring the Soul Society down. I like it here.

"Please," she whispered. "Believe me,"

He sighed. "Who is the one that can control the Hougyoku?"

Rubbing her eyes, she sniffed. "What do you mean?"

He turned so that he could meet her eyes and discern the truth. "Who is the one able to access the Hougyoku?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it Urahara? Is that why he fled the Soul Society?" he pressed.

"No," she rolled her eyes. Talking like he was an ignorant child, she said as she threw her hands up in the air. "It's me. Duh. We used Daisuke to make it. Since I'm the only one who can invoke him, only I can control the Hougyoku to its full power. Now that's not to say that someone can't force their way in and use bits and pieces of the power. But only I can utilize its full power, which is partly why I had to die. Weren't you paying attention to Taicho, and me? Or were you already jumping to conclusions?"

With a humpf, she crossed her arms, and glared. "Figures. Typical men."

"You still should have told me," he said. "We would have worked something out. I could have protected you--us--them. Everyone. Urahara and Yoruichi would not have had to run, you would not have died, Aizen would never have had the opportunity to defect. Life would have stayed perfect."

"I'm not going to tell you that I'm sorry, Byakuya. I love you, and I regret dying, but it was necessary. I'd do it again in a heartbeat,"

She was suddenly pressed firmly against his chest. His hand cupped the back of her head, keeping it pressed hard against him, and his arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. "You will do no such thing!" he snarled. "No more dying! Never! I won't let anyone think about touching you! Yourself included! You promised to never leave me again, remember?"

"Be reasonable, Byakuya," Hisana said. Wrapping her own arms around him, she clung tightly to him. "I love you, and I don't want to leave, but if I need to in order to protect you or the kids, I will. I always will keep my family safe, no matter what the cost," 

"Then I am sorry," he released her. She looked up at him with confused eyes. "I can't let you return to the human world," he informed her.

"Why not?" she asked. As far as she knew, she was not a threat to the Seireitei in the human world. Sure, she controlled the Hougyoku, but that did not mean that she needed to be under supervision all day long. She would never harm them or anyone else for her own benefit.

"Because," he cupped her face in his hands, and willed her to understand. "Aizen will come after you again. He undoubtedly knows that only you can access the Hougyoku's full power, and he will force you to. He isn't above using Yuzu or Karin to make you do it. He isn't a nice guy. He will make you open it, and then kill you all. I can't risk that. I won't let you leave me again."

"It would be useless for him to kidnap me," she said.

"Now you are the one who is not listening, Hisana," Byakuya said gravely.

She shook her head as much as she could. It was still locked in his firm grip. "No. I'm a woman. I listened." Grabbing his wrists, she gently pried her face free. Running out of the room, and effectively stunning Byakuya, she returned a moment later with a pair of socks. He watched with raised brows as she unfurled them. Knee socks. Of course she had knee socks. Shaking one, he did not try to stop his mouth from dropping open when a small, white gem plopped into her open palm. "He doesn't have it anymore. He doesn't need me because he can never use it again."

With shaking fingers, Kuchiki reached for the weapon. It was only Hisana's trust in him that kept her palm open. So this was why Aizen had his panties in a bunch. He was no longer in possession of the Hougyoku. Without the tiny sphere, his hopes for winning the war were slim. By kidnapping Hisana, he had ultimately sealed his doom. Without this, all of his plans, and his lofty goals were useless. He wanted to ask her how she had gotten it, but couldn't seem to form the words. All he could say was:

"You have deceived me again, it seems," he said.

"What?" she exclaimed. "No! I didn't! Well…I guess I kind of did, but it wasn't out of malicious intent or anything! I wasn't sure what it was for the first little bit, and then I didn't know who to tell. Then, I forgot about it because it didn't seem like it was that big of a deal. Sorry," she finished lamely.

Hugging her gently, and sighing in relief when she hugged him back, he whispered. "I forgive you.

"Minomawari," he whispered gravely, "My dear Minomawari."

"So," she asked as she pulled back. "What do we do about the Hougyoku?"

"You need to tell Yamamoto," he said gravely. "Only him," he added when he saw her eyes sparkle in alarm.

"He'll want to know everything. You were rather vague about your mysterious helper. Add the haori into the equation, and the list of allies is thin."

"I told the captains that I wasn't sure who helped me," she offered weakly.

"But you do know him, don't you, Hisana?"

"Not personally. I mean," she flushed. "It's confusing. You wouldn't believe me if I told you, and if you did, you wouldn't get it. It doesn't make sense. It's never happened before."

"Tell me, now."

"Shinsou," she answered.

"Ichimaru's zanpakuto?"

"Hai." She nodded vigorously. "The Myikio was created to separate a shinigami from his power for punishment. Naturally, it took us a while to figure out how to do that. An earlier version of it, something we ended up calling the Tykmiki, could cleave a zanpakuto's spirit from it's physical presence."

"Let me guess," he cut her off. "You tried it on Ichimaru?"

Hisana shook her head no. "No," she stated, "We tried it on a few other people first. Gin was the only person who survived. Since we knew that it was possible to survive separate a spirit from the zanpakuto, we knew that it was possible to separate the shinigami from the sword. It took a little elbow grease, is all."

Leaning forward, Byakuya gripped his chin. His mind raced, trying to process all of the information that had been thrown at him. He had never realized that Urahara and Hisana had been so busy. All that she spoke of had been done in their spare time, because they had responsibilities to the General to complete first. If he hadn't known better, he would have assumed that Urahara was planning his own coup, and building the necessary items.

"I suppose that Aizen found out about your little projects from Ichimaru?" he said after a long, heavy silence.

"I wouldn't know," she softly replied.

"Of course you wouldn't"

"Hey, don't be mad at me. I kept my mouth shut. I did what I was told. Just because someone else screwed up does not mean that I am at fault," she crossly defended her actions.

"I know, I know," he waved away her anger with a his hand. "I was not trying to accuse you of rebellion. I was thinking out loud. Forgive my slight."

Hisana pursed her lips. "Very well." She nodded curtly.

"I don't know what to do, Wari-chan," he whispered. Immediately, her heart softened. She knew that it was hard for him to admit weakness. She had to be supportive of him, and make him think that he could take of their growing family. "I can't even begin to believe that you were part of the development of some of the most dangerous creations. I know that you would not lie to me about something this solemn. I don't know how to act,"

"Hey, it's okay." She grabbed his calloused hand in her own. "We'll get through this. We will go see Yamamoto in the morning, and tell him the truth. He'll know what to do. We'll be fine, Byakuya. I promise."

"You don't know that," was his whispered reply.

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"Where are they going?" Ichigo whispered to Rukia. The raven haired shinigami was lounging on the arm of the chair, draped over him. She turned her torso so she could look at her brother and sister. They both had solemn expressions on their faces, and she could see the tenseness in her brother's body. It looked like he was furious, and Hisana was going to be a whipping boy. Her sister looked like she was going to punch her brother. They were fighting, but she was not sure why.

"I have no idea," she answered.

"Let's follow them," he suggeted.

"What?" Ruki popped up. "You can't be serious! We would be spying on them."

"I wanna know what they're whispering about. It got to be something good if they won't talk about it in front of us."

Rukia shook her head firmly. "No, Ichigo. I could to do that to Nii-sama. We will just have to wait until they are ready to tell us."

"Maybe she's pregnant," a scratchy voice hypothesized.

"Ahh!!" Rukia and Ichigo jumped up**. **A warm, comfortable atmosphere settled down around them. The closeness that they developed during Rukia's time in the world of the living returned in full force. Ir was like the propinquity had never left, though they both knew it had during Ichigo's first week in the Soul Society. Renji's abrupt disruption of that startled them out of their reverie.

The stray dog didn't seem to mind at all. He grinned roguishly at them. "Am I interrupting something?" he asked with a wag of his bushy eyebrows.

"No!" they both exclaimed.

"I'm just saying," he grinned. "You two looked pretty cozy."

"We were just listening to Hisana read the twins a bedtime story," Rukia hotly defended. She let out a squeal when she lost her balance. Rukia slipped off her perch, and landed splat in the middle of Ichigo's lap. Her face was flushed red as she scrambled to get out of his lap. She ended up entrenching herself between his strong legs instead. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"S'okay," he groaned out. He was bright red too, and he wanted her out of his lap just as much. At the same time, he fought the internal battle of keeping her locked firmly in his lap.

Renji snickered at their predicament. He settled down to watch their drama. It was worth the wait. Watching Rukia try to untangle herself from the substitute as he tried to push her off. They only got entangled in each other, and their faces only got redder. It took them a long time to get separated.

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Unohana Retsu was working late. Again. Every night, it seemed, her ours grew later and alter. Before long, she would be working until the next day began. She was quickly growing tired. If she did not love her job so much, and her colleagues, then she would have retired one hundred years ago.

Currently, she was going through patient files. Every five years, all thirteen squad captains and lieutenants had to have a complete physical done on them, blood work included. If someone was found lacking, the soutaicho immediately knew about it. She always went over the previous exams to make sure that there was nothing noteworthy, or anything that might need to be looked at closely. Only twice in her two hundred year captaincy had she discharged someone from service: one captain, and one lieutenant. That had not been a good year.

In her hands was Hitsugaya-taicho's folder. His reiatsu had grown at an alarming rate, and all evidence said that it still was. As the captain with the shortest term, his grown was astounding. Within the next hundred years, he would be one of the most powerful shinigami to ever live. Very few could control his impressive amount of reiatsu, and live to ell about it. There were four men that she knew for sure could do it. One day, Kurosaki Ichigo would count himself among their ranks.

Speaking of the Kurosaki male…Unohana stood up. She wanted to check his body's vitals one more time before she retired for the night. He was making astounding progress. The skin was slowly growing back over his wounds. She was able to completely heal his muscles, and the broken bones. There would be residual scarring. Most of his body would be marred by the event. He had her pity. There was very little she could do about that. If only she had the Inoue girl in her division. She would be very helpful in situations like these.

Checking his pulse, Unohana knew that he could be discharged in a fortnight. As good as new, or at least, as good as she could make him.

"Is the kid okay?" a gruff voice asked from the doorway.

Unohana turned to face him. She was not surprised to hear his voice. He had been standing at the door for several moments, waiting for her to finish with Kurosaki. He was being inordinately polite, and she felt that it excused his late night rendezvous. "Captain Zaraki," she acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"

"I know that it is late, Unohana," he was back to his usual curt ways. He never used honorifics. "But this is the only time that I could get away from Yachiru."

"I do not mind, Zaraki-taicho," she said softly. She left Kurosaki's side to stand in front of her per. She folded her hands on her stomach.

"I am here for Yachiru's physical. I got to make it in secret or else she won't come. She hates it here, not that I blame here," he said gruffly.

Unohana nodded her head. She understood. Many people hated coming to the medical division. It was far too sterile and bright for many. They did not like the fact that it was so stiff and repressed as well. She had to keep it sterile and quiet for her patients. Oftentimes, just being in the hospital made you tired. Seeing someone else's pain made you hurt as well. I twas just not a good place to be unless you enjoyed helping people. Which Unohana did.

"Very well, Captain Zaraki," Unohana said. "But you did not need me personally to schedule your lieutenants appointment. Kama at the front desk is in charge of appointment times and dates,"

The scarred man shrugged. "I figured I had to talk to yah because you're the one who always give her her physical."

Unohana always gave the girl her physical. She personally examined every higher up in the Gotei 13, per the General's request. Yachiru was terrified of the hospital, and when she was scared, she became unruly. Only Zaraki could keep her controlled, and then it was difficult. It took the two of them working together to get the girl through her physical. "Very well. Come with me, Captain, and we will make an appointment."

Together, they walked to the front of the Fourth Division.

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"I'm sorry," she softly said. Hisana lay on her side. Byakuya lay beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist. He kept her lying nearly on top of him, with her face in the crook of his neck. She inhaled his natural scent, and sighed. He smelled like cloves and cinnamon. Perfect.

Byakuya squeezed her waist. "I forgive you. You should know that by now. It's been…what…three hours since the fight?"

"We really need to learn to stay angry for longer if we are going to fight like this," she mused.

Byakuya kissed the top of her head. "Never," he promised.

"Never ever," she agreed.

"I love you,"

"I suppose I love you, too," Hisana said. They drifted off peacefully, ready to sleep away all of the day's drama.

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A/N: **I pumped this one out fast. You should be happy, my dear readers. I can't promise that the next one will be finished as quickly. I will try, though. Its summer time, but I have work now--gainful employment sucks--not really but oh well. You gotta do what you gotta do. Thanks for reading, and, as per usual, I sadly own nothing except original characters (I have only spotted one so far) and the situations that I put them in. Those situations are never fun for the characters, though. Read it, review it, love it. Notice the beginnings of Unohana and Zaraki. You spoke, I listened. Hitsukarin is next. Have a great summer! Love you guys!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty--

Poke.

Poke. Poke.

Snowy white against midnight blue – the right hues that complemented each other. Under the moonlight, buzzing fireflies sparked like stars that had fallen from the skies. In those long lonely hours, this was perhaps the way they were was keeping night company--they were communicating through these twinkling lights. Poke. Byakuya rolled over, and tried to ignore the annoying poke. It was late, in the middle of the night, and he wanted to sleep after his earlier exertions. Poke.

"Sani?"

Poke.

Poke. Poke.

Poke. Poke. Poke. The annoyance was not going to go away. Groaning, he turned over and tried to feign some sleep. If whoever was trying to rouse him from his slumber thought he was too tired, they would leave. Just like he wanted them too.

"Sani," a tiny voice whispered. It's owner poked him even harder. "Sani?"

Poke. Poke.

Byakuya cracked a dark eye open. It took him a moment to focus on the annoyance. It was a small girl, with large, wide-set eyes was peering down at him. She clutched a ragged little plush lion as she chewed on her lower lip. "Sani," she whispered again.

On his other side, he felt Hisana sit up. Moaning as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, she rolled overtop Byakuya. He grunted from her weight. "Yuzu?" she asked with a sleep laden voice.

Pitter-patter. Pitter-patter. Byakuya heard the little girl walk around to the other side of the bed. It sounded like she was jumping on al of the creaks in the floorboards. "Sani," she whispered. In his sleep deprived mind, Byakuya thought she was screaming. "I had another nightmare. About Dad." There was a pause. "Can I sleep with you?"

Hisana groaned. "Sure kid,"

She tossed back the covers. The bed groaned, and Byakuya wanted to make a noise of frustration as well. This was becoming a frequent occurrence. Yuzu was having more and more nightmares. After particularly bad ones, she would take refuge by Hisana's side. Byakuya was too stubborn to admit that he was more than a little jealous. He would wake up in the mornings, cold and alone, irked that she was gone. Every time Yuzu sought solace with Hisana, she would take the child back to her private room. After being alone for so many years, he did not want to be alone anymore. Grabbing her wrist, he jerked her back down. Hisana squeaked in surprise.

"She can stay here," he muttered.

He could not see Hisana's face, but she knew that she was grinning. "Come on, kid," she said. He heard her pat the mattress. There was a groan, and he heard someone else adjust themselves. Byakuya wrapped an arm around Hisana's waist, and pulled her close. His nose nuzzled her neck as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. She let out a low giggle. The three of them settled down to sleep when the unthinkable happened.

His aunt's annoying toy poodle began to bark. Except, the little rat did not bark it yipped. High pitched and squeaky, it yipped yipped yipped its way up on to the bed. Byakuya watched through slitted eyes as it picked its way over the limbs and folds in the sheets. It quirked its head to the side as it settled down beside Yuzu. The lion plushie in her arms squirmed, but could not escape her iron grasp. The dog rested its head on the doll's leg.

"He likes Kon," Yuzu whispered her explanation in an apologetic tone.

"It's okay, kid," Hisana whispered. Byakuya heard the sleep in her voice. She was barely awake. She intertwined her legs with Byakuya's. She snuggled deeper into his embrace, and he squeezed her in response. They just wanted to sleep.

"Yuzu?" a girl's voice called out.

Byakuya groaned out loud. He grunted when his beautiful Minomawari jabbed him in the ribs with her pointy elbow. Gasping for breath, he watched as she sat up, and out of his arms. He scowled. "What is it, Chan?" she asked in a soft voice.

"I can't find Yuzu," Karin whispered into the night. It was so dark. She could see a thing. Her eyes peered out, grasping for any light, but so far, she could not find anything.

"She's in here," Hisana answered. She gestured down to a now slumbering Yuzu. It figured that once she was asleep, nothing would wake her.

"Oh," Karin whispered. "Okay, then,"

Silence hung around them. The adults knew what was coming, but did not know how to initiate it. Karin was too strong, too proud to ask. She would have made a fine Kuchiki. Luckily, Yuzu solved their problems. "She always sleeps with me when she's scared,"

And here Hisana had thought the tiny girl to be asleep.

"Hop on up, then, Chan," Hisana called out. Byakuya groaned but shifted over. The child would want to sleep on Hisana's other side. Hisana's hand shot out. For a moment, Byakuya thought that she did not want him to move. He quickly realized that she was checking to make sure that he was clothed. Looking over the child who hunkered down beside him, Byakuya gave Hisana a look that said, 'Really?'. His Minomawari flushed but wrapped an arm around Yuzu. Karin lay on her side, cuddling not on Hisana, but more on Byakuya. She lay her head on his arm, and grasped her twin's hand, which rested on Hisana's stomach. Hisana blew a kiss at Byakuya. As a family, the captain, the new mother, the two children, the plushie and the poodle drifted off into slumber land.

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It was late at night. A gentle breeze blew in the open window, cooling the hot room. She was exhausted, but sleep seemed to be as illusive as ever. Her hands were sweating and her entire body shook as she thought about what she was going to do. She had never met Isshin's children before, and she was nervous. What if they did not like her? Masaki was a beautiful woman, and there was no way that anyone in the world could replace her. Kohaku did not want her sister's children to think that she was going to replace her. That was the last thing that she wanted to do. But someone who was related to the children needed to raise them.

Kohaku Conders, born Tasakshi Kohaku, elder sister of Kurosaki Masaki, moved to America fifteen years ago to marry her sweetheart, Thomas Conders. Forsaking any connections with her homeland and disapproving family, Kohaku had not had any contact with her sister's children or husband for over a decade. Though it was heartbreaking to hear of Isshin's death in the plane crash, someone needed to step up and take control of the situation. The children needed to be reared by someone who was blood, and responsible. Her parents had died before the first one was even born, and there was no one surviving Isshin. Kohaku was not silly. Her family was well off, and could easily handle the burden of the extra three children.

"Baby," Thom groaned as he rolled over. Sitting up slowly, he wearily rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He rubbed her shoulder as he asked in English, "What's on your mind?"

"I'm nervous, Thom," she answered. Her words were still laced with a thick accent. They sounded odd, even to her ears. This new language was confusing, and hard to pronounce. Sometimes, not even she understood what she was saying.

"About the Kurosaki's?" her adoring husband asked.

She bobbed her head slowly. "Of course. What if they do not like me? They have not met me before, and the gap between Masaki and I is still as big as ever." Her dark almond eyes shifted warily around the room. "What if they do not want to come?"

"Nonsense, Kohaku." Thom brushed away her worries like he brushed away her tears. Pulling her down, he kissed the top of her head. "They'll love it here. Here they have a family who wants them, they'll have access to the best education in the world, they'll have more money than they'll know what to do with. Trust me, dear, they'll be just fine here with us."

"But what if they don't want to leave Japan?" Kohaku pressed on. Pulling out of his warm arms, she turned to stare down at him, large tears threatening to fall from her pretty eyes. "They have friends there that they will not want to leave, lives that they are still living. Japan is all they know." 

"They are just children, Haku." Thom sat up as well. Foreheads pressed together, he looked deeply into her eyes. His gaze was full of intensity and sincerity. "They will do as we tell them because they are children and we are adults. It's as simple as that. Sure, they might be a little bit reluctant at first, but in time, they'll come around. It isn't as if they have anywhere to go in Japan, anyway. There is no one there who will take them in. At least," Thom amended, "Who will take them all in together. The twins have a shot at being adopted, but your nephew is too old. He would just grow up in an orphanage and then be shoved onto the streets after he graduated. This is the best chance that they all have."

Kohaku let out a deep breath that she had not known she was holding. "I know," she whispered. "I know you're right. I am just nervous about it all. I hope that our children will get along with their cousins,"

"They will," Thom promised. "We're raising them right. They'll all be great friends in no time,"

"I love you," Kohaku said as she lay back down to snuggle into her husband's embrace.

"I love you, too." Thom whispered, "Now, get some sleep. The plane is leaving early tomorrow for Tokyo. We need to be well rested for our travels,"

Kohaku nodded her head. "Yes, dear." They lapsed into silence for a moment. Pressing her lips to the column of his tanned throat, she confessed, "I cannot wait to see the surprise on their faces when we show up at the orphanage to adopt them."

Thom chuckled. "I imagine that it will be quite the shock for them," 

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Biting her lip hard, she cocked her head to the side. In her hands, she clasped the offending object tightly, afraid to let it go. Should it slip from her fingers, it would fall into someone else's untrustworthy hands, and that would be a great catastrophe. Bravely, she met the eyes of the soutaicho as he stared at her in shock. Hisana had just finished confessing the entirety of her escapades in Huece Mundo to not only the General, but to the entire captaincy. Yamamoto had insisted on their presence, and now she felt like a liar and an idiot.

Many of them looked accusingly at her, knowing full well that she withheld critical information from them. The tiny Hougyoku was the make or break for the Thirteen Court Squads. Not telling them about it the moment she stepped back into the Seireitei was a heinous crime. Others looked at her in awe for managing to wrangle the Hougyoku out of Aizen's grasp. Everyone was anxious, however, to hear the name of her mysterious helper. He had been featured in both stories that she told, each time becoming more prominent. It was crucial to find this potential ally in Aizen's forces and exploit him for the side of justice.

Yamamoto let out a heavy sigh. He surveyed the room with his craggy eyes, pausing a moment on each of his captains. He expected all of their reactions, and guessed most of them correctly. Most of them glared at the woman in the middle of the room with anger: Soi Fon, Komamura, Kira, Hinamori--both where in the stead of their captains--Kurotsuchi, and surprisingly, Unohana. Hisagi and Histugaya, along with Kyoraku nodded their heads in understanding, grim expressions on their faces. They were the closest to Hisana, or had been at least once upon a time. They all would have done the same thing if they had been in her shoes. Ukitake looked at the girl with compassion in his eyes. He agreed with her completely. Zaraki, as always, was an anomaly. He found the entire situation amusing.

Kuchiki was who surprised the old man the most. He had expected the stoic man to remain as he always was: expressionless and withdrawn. The Kuchiki family was full of surprises, it seemed. The sixth division captain openly glared at his peers who dared disagree with his precious wife. There was a malignancy in his open expression that chilled even the Soutaicho to the bone. It was unusual to have any show of emotion from the collected noble so the intensity of his anger at his fellows was astounding. As per usual--so Yamamoto did not know why he was surprised--Kuchiki Hisana was the only exception to her husband's cold countenance.

"I'm sure that you all are wondering how this mysterious man in Kuchiki-san's story is,"

Hisana's head snapped to Byakuya. He met her gaze with surprisingly fearful eyes and a wrinkled forehead. She reasoned he feared her reaction to the Soutaicho's slip up with her name. It was an accident, and was not worthy of illiciting such a reaction from Byakuya. He was overreacting. Looking around, several of the other captains noticed her confusion. They too were startled by the General's mistake. He was normally exact about things like that.

"And," the man continued, either oblivious or uncaring to the confused state of his captains, "I too must confess that I have withheld information from you." Eerie silence descended the room. No one dared move for fear that it was break the General out of his stupor. The man kept information very close to his chest, If he dared reveal something to his staff, then it was of the utmost importance. They waited in eager apprehension, waiting for him to reveal all. "I have known of Kuchiki-san's aide all along,"

That confession startled even Hisana.

"In fact, I have known of him longer than Kuchiki-san has. For, you see, we have always had a spy in Aizen's inner circle. Ichimaru Gin."

e paused, appropriately, for the gasps of surprise that were coming. No one saw that coming. Giving them plenty of time to gather themselves, he then continued on, "At the urging of Matsumoto-fukutaicho, he told me of Aizen's treachery this last decade. He kept me informed of all of the late captain's plans up until the revolt. After he went with Aizen to Las Noches, his reports have been much more sporadic, but still accurate. I assume that it was he who gave you the Hougyoku," he said to Hisana.

"Sure," Hisana agreed with a grin. That was basically the truth. Explaining the whole Shinsou thing again would take to long and confuse everyone except Byakuya and Kurotsuchi. Besides, she really was not in the mood to be killed for treason right now.

Yamamoto nodded his head. "Former Captain Ichimaru is indeed, still loyal to the Seireitei. I vouch for him for those of you who do not believe me. I know that given his dubious behavior and obscene actions, you might be inclined to disagree with me, but I assure you, he is still fully on our side. If you do not believe me," he added with a wry smile, "Ask Lieutenant Matsumoto. She would not remain in contact with a man who betrayed her,"

Kyoraku chuckled. "That's certainly the truth,"

"You don't know the half of it," Hitsuaya muttered.

She was not allowed to be present for the rest of the meeting. Yamamoto wanted to discuss the revelation of the secret spy, as well as her possession of the Hougyoku and how it effected the Gotei 13. Hisana sat outside waiting for Byakuya to finish. She planned to walk with him to his division before returning to the manor. She did not think that he would mind her companionship for a few brief minutes. They had been so rudely interrupted this morning by his blasted uncle, and she missed him terribly. Hopefully, he would not think she was an annoyance.

Hisana was snapped out of her thoughts by a loud squeal. Head turned and eyes blinking, she barely registered a large chested blonde run up to her. "Sani-chan!" she cried loudly.

Matsumoto threw her arms around the startled schoolteacher and gave her the biggest hug she had ever received. "It's soooooooooooooooo good to see you! How are you doing?" she pressed as she released Hisana. "Do you like the Soul Society? Has it changed much? I know that we were here together before you died, but I've been here so long I can't tell if it's changed or not? Aizen didn't hurt you, did he? Oh, that bastard! I'll kill him the next time I see him!"

"Hello to you to, Lieutenant Matsumoto," Hisana said as she pulled out of the strawberry blonde's grasp. Her ugly eyes landed a short woman with violet eyes and barely visible glasses. Her hair was pulled tightly away from her primmed up face, making her look austere. "Good day." Hisana inclined her head to the newcomer.

Her violet eyes flickered swiftly for a moment. Hisana could not make out the emotion that crossed them, but really was not concerned. It probably was surprise that she had spoken to her. "Hello, Reiko-san,"

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," Hisana spoke softly. The woman's face was very familiar but she had seen so many face and learned so many new names in the Soul Society that she had no idea who the woman was.

The woman seemed to be expecting that. "I am Ise Nanao, lieutenant of the eight division," she introduced herself.

Hisana nodded her head. Offering her hand, she replied, "I am Reiko Hisana, the Kurosaki's guardian." That was probably the best way to introduce herself. She wasn't sure exactly who or what she was in the Seireitei, but it was probably along the lines of little to no importance. That was just fine by her. She did not have to have the most prominent position or anything in any division. In fact, something in the air made Hisana want to steer clear of the entire infrastructure.

"It is good to see you up and about after your tumble with Aizen," Ise-san said politely.

Hisana smiled back at her. "Nothing actually happened," she confided in her sagely. "I wasn't even there for more than a couple of hours. It wasn't a big deal" she added with a shrug.

Ise-san took her word for it. "Whatever you say, Reiko-san," she replied acceptingly.

"We were going out for some lunch, Sani-san. Would you like to come?" Matsumoto asked with a bright smile.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Hisana muttered. She glanced at the dirty ground, embarrassed that she didn't have any spending money, not the kind that they used in the Seireitei, anyway.

"It would not be an imposition," Ise-fukutaicho reassured her. "We invited you,"

"Yeah," Matsumoto bobbed her airy head quickly. "It would be a great time for you and Ise-chan to catch up!"

Hisana blinked. Glancing at Ise-san's face, she saw a dark blush sweep across her face. "We were friends in my previous life," she stated, not asked.

"That was a long time ago," Ise-san replied.

"I'm sorry that I don't remember," Hisana offered lamely.

"It is quite alright, Reiko-san," Ise answered her quietly.

"Hisana," a calm voice called to her before awkward silence descended around them. She turned to see Byakuya's blank face looking at her. With an inviting smile, she stood up from her bench. After excusing herself, she silently walked over to the captain's side, and smiled bright at him.

Watching them with glassy eyes, Matsumoto could not apologize to her friend fast enough. "I am so sorry, Ise-chan. I didn't realize that she didn't remember you,"

"It's all right," Ise comforted her. "I had to face her some time."

"Does she remember anything at all from way back then?" she asked.

Ise shook her head. "Thankfully, she's forgotten it all."

Matsumoto looked at her friend and comrade in rank, puzzled.

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A/N: I know I've been gone forever. Sorry about that. I'm back now. My life has been so hectic right now, but I should not have let that interfere with my writing. I'm sorry for the wait. The chapter is a short one, but at least it's something. Right? Please review, and if you could take the time to check out the prequel to Kiss the Sky, called Even Angels Fall, I'd appreciate it.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two--

Before she could blink, the weeks had flown by. They were suddenly faced with the end of the warm summer, and the dark cloud of school. Her happiness in the Soul Society was waning, and she needed to face reality. Her happy vacation from the taxing world was over; it was time to get back to real life. Though her heart ached at the prospect of leaving Byakuya, she was not stupid enough to dwell on it. There was too much to do in order to get ready to leave.

She needed to pack her things. The kids' things. Make sure that everything was in order for back to school. Organize her lesson plans. By a new house. Get enough furniture. Take legal custody of the Kurosakis. Find a way to tell Byakuya goodbye.

The last one on the list seemed impossible. She had no idea how to do it. She loved him with all of her heart; completely and utterly. Yet she was leaving him again, even after she promised him not to. It was horrible of her to do that. But she was going to, and she was not going to look back. Byakuya also seemed to be ware of the nearing date. He was becoming more and more withdrawn, rarely speaking to anyone. Yet, in the privacy of their room, he was needy and aggressive. It felt like they were either having sex, or passed out from exhaustion. Not that she minded, but her stamina was quickly depleting.

"Make sure you fold that, Karin," Hisana warned. "I don't want it all wrinkled."

"I know, Sani," Karin rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "You've only told me a hundred times,"

"Then do it!" Hisana snapped. "It isn't hard!"

Karin snorted. Glaring, she threw the shirt on the already stuffed suitcase. "I'm going to see Toushiro," she declared. She stormed out of the room in a huff, slamming the door on the way out.

Yuzu cringed. "Some people have no manners," she said with a shake of her head. Her tiny hands nimbly folded her many dresses into small, compact squares. There were four layers folded perfectly and stacked artistically in the bag. Not a single thing was out of place. Hisana glanced at Karin's bag. It was the complete opposite of her twin's. Messy to the point of being an eyesore, the tomboy had stuffed all of her new clothes into the bag. It was lumpy and bulky, and impossible to close.

Hisana was in no mood to play. "Don't gossip," she snapped. "It's uncouth,"

Yuzu winced. "Sorry, Sani," 

Hisana let out a deep breath. She knew that she screwed up. The look on the little girl's face broke her heart. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Yuzu," she whispered. "I'm just tense right now. I've got a lot to do and no time to do it. I didn't mean to snap,"

"It's okay, Sani," Yuzu replied. "I understand,"

"Don't give me that puppy dog look, Yuzu," Hisana moaned when the girl's eyes started to glisten. "You don't need to be sad right now. You should be happy that you get to go home and see all of your friends."

Yuzu nodded her head slowly. Without warning, she grabbed Kon by the head and ran out of the room. Tears trailed behind her. Exhausted and emotionally drained, Hisana sat down on the edge of her bed. Her shoulders shook as she softly cried and cupped the bottom of her face with her hand. The pressure of everything was suddenly too much for her to bear. Her head hurt and her body was tired, nothing seemed to be worth a damn any more, and all of her relationships with the kids went down the toilet. Nothing was going right.

"Hisana," a deep, soothing voice whispered. Two arms wrapped around her. Byakuya pulled her back to lean against his hard chest. She was still desolate and exhausted but everything seemed to be suddenly much more bearable. He held her as she cried. Eventually, Hisana turned around and clutched onto him. Her tears stained his black kimono, as did her running make-up. Her snot probably did not help things. She did not care, however, as she clung to him and cried. Eventually, when her eyes were swollen and red, and her head hurt from the pressure, she stopped crying.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed as she pulled back. "I've gotten your clothes all dirty,"

"It's okay," he whispered as he pressed his lips against her temple. "Just let it all out,"

She wiped the snot off her face with the back of her wrist. "Still," she grunted, "I don't want to make things more difficult. But I needed that."

"I am always here to listen," he told her.

"For that, I am grateful," she buried her face into his chest.

Byakuya wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. His hands rubbed the small of her back comfortingly. Hisana let out a deep breath. "What made you so sad?" he asked her. He wished to help the tiny woman in his arms, but Kuchiki was at a loss. Never before had he seen anyone break down sobbing for no reason at all. Even when she searched everyday for Rukia, her tears had never been frivolous. This Hisana seemed to cry much easier, and her lack of strength surprised the terse captain.

"I'm not sad, Byakuya," she staunchly informed him. "Sad, I could handle. This is something else, something much more complicated,"

"How is it complicated?" he asked her. He tried to keep his voice soft and soothing, but it sounded cold and distant. She did not flinch away now. After several weeks, Hisana became used to his deadpanned tone and blank stare. They were new features to this Byakuya, and she found them odd. It was even harder for her to know how to act around him than before. Hisana felt like she was always on her toes now. The happy carefree days of joyous reunion were gone; now, they had to settle into a routine that seemed just out of reach.

"You wouldn't understand," she whispered as her eyes became heavy with opaque tears.

"I cannot understand Hisana if you do not explain things to me," he informed her.

"Maybe I don't want to explain things, Byakuya," HIsana shot back. Her face contorted into sudden rage. Those blotchy cheeks swelled up like two cherries and those ugly eyes that he adored so much were clouded in her fury. She shoved his chest with her fingertips. "Maybe I just want to forget about them. Maybe, for once in my entire life, I don't want to deal with other people's problems; for once, maybe I want to be selfish and do something for me!"

"Hisana," Byakuya told her stiffly. "You need to stop acting like a child. You are always selfish, even when you are putting others first. Do not try to play martyr when our entire world seems to revolve around you."

She jerked back from her lover's grasp. "What the hell?" she snapped. "I am not selfish!"

"Yes, you are," Byakuya retorted. "Even if you do not mean to be. The entire world revolves around your wants and your thoughts. It is always about you. Be strong and focus on the children."

"I am focusing on them," she snapped. "They're all I can think about."

"No," he told her. "You are thinking about how you can get them ready for their schooling, how you can afford to feed them, to buy them new clothes. It is all things for them, but ultimately you are focused on what you can do. Let go and stop being so self-centered."

"How can you say that to me?" she hissed. "All I can do, say, think, is those kids. My kids!"

"You are incredibly concerned with Kurosakis," Byakuya consented. "But that does not mean that you are a selfless person. True, I know that you give more than most. You are one of the most giving people I know, but you are still a selfish creature. You were born selfish, even if you do not realize it."

"I am not selfish!" she cried.

"You are," he told her evenly. "And you need to hear it. You are selfish and impulsive, and headstrong. You try to be too in control any situation; you twist it and convolute it. Even if you are not trying, it always is turned back to you. If you are going to be a mother, you need to put the children first."

"I do!" she yelled. "Why the hell do you think I'm leaving you?"

His eyes flashed. She blinked and let out a squeal as her back hit the bed. She looked up with wide eyes at Byakuya, surprised by his actions. They were fighting, not engaging in foreplay. He sneered at her. "I knew it," he accused. "It's always been about the kids,"

"No shit," she heatedly told him. "They need me,"

"I need you," he softly but heatedly declared. "Rukia needs you."

"Not like they do," she told him.

"I died the day you did," he told her. "How can you say you would rather be with them than me?"

"I don't want to go," she told him fiercely. "Nothing would make me happier than staying here with you forever and never leaving this compound."

"Then why are you?"

"I'm putting their needs and wants over mine," she snarled. "It's called being mature, growing up." She hit his chest but it was rock hard. He did not even flinched. "Putting them first,"

His raised an eyebrow. "You are leaving only to prove me wrong," he stated, not asked.

"I'm leaving because they need me to," Hisana said. She pushed Byakuya away and sat up. Glaring she ran a hand over her head; her long locks were tied in a bun. Several hairs had fallen free when she slammed into the mattress. "Despite what you think, I'm not doing it to spite you."

Byakuya snorted.

Hisana glared and stood up. "You don't believe me," she said with narrowed eyes. "That's fine; you don't have to. I know what I'm doing, and yeah, maybe it is all about me, but at least I'm getting the job done. That's more than you did when Rukia needed you."

His eyes widened. There. She said it. And it hung in the air heavily and ominous. Hisana could never take back the words, no matter how much she wanted to. She knew that she was wrong to say it, that he was keeping a vow to his parents––she had heard a watered down version of events from Ichigo––but Hisana had yet to reprimand him for his disregard. She wanted him to hurt the same way she was hurting, and if it meant throwing Rukia into the mix, then she would. Oh shit…Byakuya was right. She was being selfish.

Too late now.

"Get out," he told her.

"With pleasure," Hisana said as she sauntered to the door. Before she closed it, she leaned her head back in. "I'm not the only one who's selfish, Byakuya. At least I am willing to go out of my way to help others,"

With that, she slammed the door. Byakuya glared at for a long time before he answered her. "I'm a noble, Hisana. I was born to expect the best, and I still do. I know my rights and my privileges as well as the next person. I also understand my boundaries, something you have not yet learned."

*

She lay down on the soft bed. Her limbs were heavy and tired, her eyes could barely stay open. All she wanted to do was curl up into a tiny ball and sleep. Perhaps that would make all of her troubles go away. Maybe when she woke up, Karin would not be so sour. And perhaps Yuzu could be just a little more independent. And Ichigo--Hisana really was not sure what she could wish away from Ichigo. Perhaps that sour scowl that he liked to wear so much. If he was not careful, he would get wrinkles. At least unpacking had not been difficult. The Soutaicho--God bless him--had found her and the Kurosaki's a small home. It was a small, almost cottage like place, with a white washed front and a gabled roof. Hisana had already fallen in love with the wide, sweeping windows and the bright red front door. It was the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

Of course, the Soutaicho had used her finances to purchase the house in full. She was broke now, thanks to that ignorant man, but she had a home. And furniture, too. That was always a bonus.

"Sani?" Yuzu called from the downstairs. "Would you like me to start on dinner?"

Hisana slapped a hand to her forehead. If it was not one thing, it was another. Those little crumbcruncher; they were adorable, but they were annoying. And they ate all the time! It was a miracle that Isshin manages to feed them and still have enough money to keep the clinic open. HIsana had no earthly idea how he did it. "It's okay, Chan," she softly yelled back. "I'll get started on it in just a minute,"

There was a pause. Hisana heard soft voices mutter. They wre having some secret conversation, but Hisana could not bring herself to care whatever their devious little minds were thinking up. She was just too tired. "Ichi-nii says to hurry up 'cause he's hungry!" Yuzu yelled finally.

Hisana groaned. When she got her hands on that boy, she was going to strangle him. He had to hands, and a functioning mind. If he wanted dinner, then dammit he could make it himself. She was not his slave nor was she his mother. Right now, she was not sure if she even liked him! Groaning loudly, Hisana forced herself to get up off her bed. It was soft and well cushioned, much larger than the one she had at the appartment. Perfecting for snuggling down beneath the covers on a rainy morning. Or for rolling around with Byakuya.

Her heart skipped a beat. Byakuya. She already missed him. How pathetic was that? She had been away from him for mere hours, yet she was already lonely. Lonely in a house full of kids, what irony. Hisana let out a harsh bark of laughter. It was not that she was lonely now, Hisana reassured herself as she made her way to the large mirror above her new dresser. Right now she definitely wanted to be alone. Picking up a brush, Hisana ran in lightly through her hair. She just knew that she would miss him eventually; she was not going to be going back to the Soul Society for a long time after all. She was just depressed because she knew that she would miss him. Yes, she told herself. That was it.

All the while, her brush strokes were getting harder and harder. She did not feel lit as she stared forlornly at her ugly reflection, captivated by her dull, doe-like eyes. She looked to innocent, to fragile to understand such deep emotions like sorrow and loneliness. She was not however. That she knew for a fact as she pulled on the brush with all of her might. The tangles in her hair were getting caught in the painful strokes. Her scalp burned from the weight of her arm. She did not care; she did not feel it. All she felt was alone, and for someone who had never felt that way before, it was the most terrifying thing she had ever experienced.

She let out a strangled sob. She was scared, she realized, scared to be a mom, scared to be alone, scared that she could not do this by herself. She was just one person, one small person who barely managed to feed herself, let alone three needy children. Why had she agreed to take them in? She was smart enough to know that she could not properly feed them! Sure, she loved them more than life itself, but could she take care of them? Raise them? Educate them? Help them get started with their lives? She did not know.

"Hisana," a deep voice whispered.

For a moment she froze. It was his voice; she knew that for certain. She had no idea why she heard it though. Hallucinating was never good. Slowly, Hisana pulled the brush from her head and stared down at it. Maybe she had been brushing her hair too hard. She set it down with quaking fingers only to glance at the mirror. A shadow flickered in the corner of her eye. She gasped, and turned to look. No one was there. Just her white chiffon curtains, and a warm summer breeze. She sighed. Now she was imagining things too.

"Sani!" Ichigo yelled. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! You little snot nosed brat!" Hisana laughed gaily. She stood up and ran to the door. She glanced over her shoulder; her room was empty. She was loosing it. Running down the stairs, she winced at a side cramp. Those really sucked. Her new family was lounging in the living room, watching the news. "What do you all want for dinner?" she asked.

They all shrugged and let a chorus of 'I dunno'. Hisana rolled her eyes. "Let's just do take out," she told them.

"No, not take out,"

"Gross,"

"No thanks,"

Hisana rolled her eyes and then folded her arms. "What then? We don't have much food and I don't feel like going to the store."

"Ichi-nii can go," Karin suggested.

Yuzu's face brightened. "Yeah! He didn't go with us last time. It's his turn,"

"What the hell?" Ichigo moaned. "No way. I'm not going."

Hisana looked at her brand new kitchen for a moment. It would be a shame to ruin its pristine cleanliness, but she would have to eventually. Plus, it was all hers now. She did not owe a dime on it. Of course, she was fairly sure she had no money now, but that was beside the point. That was why she had a job. "Not even for breakfast?" she asked tauntingly.

Ichigo immediately perked up. "Breakfast?" he repeated. "As in eggs and toast?"

"Yeah," Hisana nodded. "Eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes, waffles…whatever you want. I can cook pretty much anything and have it be edible." 

"What about fish?" Yuzu asked.

Hisana nodded. "I could do that, too. Does that sound good to you all?"

Her adopted children all nodded their heads eagerly. "Then go to the store, Ichigo and pick up whatever you want. I'll cook it,"

"And Karin and I will clean the kitchen!" Yuzu volunteered as her twin groaned.

Hisana smiled and clapped her hands. "Perfect,"

"But I don't know where the store is," Ichigo protested. "This is a new neighborhood,"

"Then I suggest you start exploring," Sani told him crisply. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry."

*

She had not told Byakuya goodbye when she left. That, Hisana knew, would be her greatest regret. She had left the Soul Society angry, and refused to speak to the man she loved. She would be gone for how long––years, most likely––and left with the man thinking that she hated him. He could find someone else in that time, and move on while she was stuck pining away. She wanted to scream and yank out her hair. But that would let the kids know something was wrong and she wanted to spare them pain. Hisana could be mature. She could suffer in silence.

At least, she hoped so.

Hisana laughed as Karin slammed the couch pillow in Ichigo's face. The terse boy had been watching the television intently. The news was on, and the reporter had been talking about Isshin's flight. They were saying that foul play might be responsible for the crash. Karin––who had not been paying attention to the boring television––smacked Ichigo out of boredom and hoped to start a pillow fight.

Ichigo sputtered indignantly. "Hey!" he cried with a glare. "Cut it out!"

Yuzu laughed. "Ichi-nii!!"

Ichigo glared at the world. He obviously wanted to watch the news, find out what really happened to his father. But how could he burden his family in such a way, when he could bring them joy? He glanced at Hisana who grinned and nodded her head. He returned his full attention to his sisters. "You're gonna get it!" he yelled.

Karin squealed as he leapt over the couch, pillow in hand. She started to run and giggle maniacally as Ichigo chased her. Yuzu, determined not be left out of the merriment, grabbed a pillow and attacked her brother, too. She came to her twin's rescue just in time because Ichigo was pummeling Karin with her pillow. Hisana laughed. This was not how she planned her life, but it sure was hell was going to be interesting.

Her hand dropped to her stomach. Very interesting.


End file.
